People's Democracy

THOUSANDS of mourners, including prominent state level leaders of various political parties, converged at Sakhmohan village in Samastipur district on February 1 to pay homage to Comrade Ramnath Mahato and to join his funeral procession. Comrade Ramnath Mahato was cremated amidst loud slogans raised by CPI(M) members and supporters, demanding the immediate arrest of and punishment to the culprits.

It will be noted that Comrade Mahato was gunned down on January 31 evening while addressing the participants in a dharna in Manda, district Samastipur. Criminals owing allegiance to the private army of landlords pumped seven bullets into his body, killing him on the spot.

CPI(M) state secretary Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, Central Committee members Subodh Roy, Hannan Mollah and Suneet Chopra, CPI(M) MLAs Ramdeo Verma and Yogendra Singh, MLC Basudeo Singh, AIKS state secretary Vijaykant Thakur, AIAWU state president Sarangdhar Paswan, state CITU general secretary Arun Kumar Mishra, Yogendra Prasad Singh (CITU), Manoj Kumar Sunil (SFI), Sudha Bindu Mitra (AIDWA), and state party leaders Awadhesh Kumar, Sarvodaya Sharma, Rajendra Prasad Singh, Lalan Chowdhury and Ajay Kumar, among others, joined the funeral procession.

Speaking on this occasion, CPI(M) state secretary Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi and others said the murder of Comrade Ramnath, a selfless worker in the cause of the downtrodden, was a premeditated act in which gangsters Tuntun Singh, Madan Singh and Ajay Singh, among others, were involved. (Madan Singh recently left the Congress and joined the RJD in order to seek a political cover for his nefarious activities.) The murder was carried out at the behest of landlord elements, against whom Comrade Mahato had been waging a relentless struggle for years.

While Comrade Mahato’s nephew Ram Kimar died in Kargil during the action to rid the Indian territory of foreign terrorists, the uncle died during the struggle to rid the downtrodden of the terrorists that go by the name of illegal pro-landlord senas (armies) in the state.

CPI(M) leaders and others present on the occasion also condemned the failure of the police to take adequate steps to protect Comrade Mahato and others, even after being informed that the said criminals were planning to strike the latter.

The CPI(M) leaders made it plain that the party would firmly resist the politics of murder at every level and not rest till the murderers are punished. They warned that the state administration would have to face the popular wrath in case it failed to move into action.

The CPI(M) is of the clear-cut opinion that the people of Bihar have a right to enjoy peace and progress and that fighting to end the landlord terror is absolutely essential for the purpose. The party made it clear that it is prepared to join hands with all forces that are ready to fight this menace sincerely, instead of paying only lip-service to the cause while actually providing political cover to the criminals.

As the first steps in this process, the CPI(M) organised a powerful Samastipur bandh and a statewide Rasta Roko on February 4. The party is going to organise a mass meeting at Sakhmohan village on February 12, to be addressed by several national level leaders.

It will be recalled that the CPI(M)’s struggle against criminal gangs in the state has been going on for the past one decade or more, and many comrades have been targetted so far. Not very long ago, Comrade Ajit Sarkar, then a sitting CPI(M) MLA and prominent leader of agricultural workers, was also shot dead. He too was carrying out a fight against criminals in Purnea district. The dharna, which Comrade Ramnath Mahato was addressing when he was killed, was also organised to lodge protest against the rise in criminal activities in the area. This precisely was not to the liking of the pro-landlord goonda elements who chose the opportunity to kill him.

Hailing from a poor landless family, Comrade Ramnath dedicated his life in the cause of the party. He was a member of the undivided Communist Party and joined the CPI(M) when it was formed in 1964. He was the CPI(M)’s Samastipur district secretary from 1972 to 1995 and a member of the CPI(M) state secretariat later. He was also the secretary of the AIAWU state unit in Bihar.

In a statement issued on February 1, the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) and All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) also condemned the dastardly murder of Comrade Ramnath Mahato, by landlords’ goons.

Describing Comrade Mahato as a relentless fighter for the downtrodden, for social justice and against the exploitation and oppression of the poorest sections, the AIAWU and AIKS asked for immediate arrest of the criminals. They also demanded punitive action against all criminal groups operating in the area with the backing of the landlords, the police and administration. The state units of these organisations have already proposed concrete steps to ensure such action.