People's Democracy

RAJASTHAN

Agitation against CPI(M) MLA’s Arrest

IT was on May 8, 2013 that the Rajasthan Police arrested and sent to jail Pawan Duggal, a CPI(M) MLA who represents the Anupgarh constituency in the state assembly. He was arrested in connection with the serious charges foisted against him at the time peasants of Shri Ganganagar district were running, during 2004-06, a determined agitation for irrigation water from the first phase of the Indira Gandhi Canal. It is notable that eight comrades were martyred during this powerful and militant agitation. Hundreds of the party cadres and supporters were put behind bars, and thousands were seriously injured in the repeated bouts of police lathicharge and firing. CPI(M) district secretary Hetram Beniwal, JMS president Durga Swami, Anupgarh panchayat committee chairman Pawan Duggal and leaders of several mass organisations were among those who suffered police repression from 2004 to 2008. It was during this protracted struggle that the police violence angered the agitation participants and a crowd put to fire the SDM’s office and residence, tehsil office and a few police posts.

The administration imposed curfew in Gharsana and Rawla five times and handed these areas over to the military. The police also inflicted physical torture upon Pawan Duggal and several other participants, upon whose bodies the marks of torture can be seen even today. Duggal was also dismissed from the position of Anupgarh panchayat committee chairman.

However, unfazed by the severe police repression, the peasants of the district took their agitation to such a pitch that the then chief minister, Mrs Vasundhara Raje Scindia of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had had to come down from her high pedestal and concede the demands, perfectly justified demands, of the agitating peasants. Her government also felt constrained to institute a judicial enquiry under Justice Kejriwal of Rajasthan High Court. It also promised that cases against the agitationists would be withdrawn, the family of each of the eight martyrs would be given a compensation of Rs five lakh, a member of each such family would be given a government job, and that the guilty police officials would be tried in a court of law.

Because of its opposition to the BJP rule, the Congress party too was a part of this agitation, and criminal cases were foisted against some Congressmen as well. But it was the cadre of the CPI(M), the main and most consistent force conducting the agitation, who bore the brunt of repression and were implicated in serious cases. Putting some government offices and police posts afire, putting up road blockades, causing harm to public property, organising violent attacks against policemen, vandalising the RAC headquarters etc --- these were some of the severe charges imposed upon the CPI(M) cadre.

But the serious public resentment against the BJP government led to its defeat in the November 2008 elections and Ashok Gehlot became the chief minister of a Congress government. Notably, it was the same Gehlot who had, as a Congress general secretary at that time, visited the area of the agitation and extended support to the peasants’ demands. Along with former CPI(M) MP, Sheopat Singh, the then state Congress president, B D Kalla, had also squatted in front of a government office for five days, while having before them the dead body of Comrade Hajura Singh Khaluwala, who had died in police firing. Dr Chandrabhan, who is now the state Congress president, had joined a similar squatting with the dead body of Comrade Chanduram.

Quite naturally, the people had been harbouring the hope that the Congress government, led by Ashok Gehlot, would do justice to them and bring the guilty police officials to book. Notably, Gehlot too, in the beginning, did assure the people that he would get the cases against agitationists withdrawn and see to it that the guilty police officials were punished. However, the Congress government only reneged on its promises during the last four years and a half.

It is also to be noted that according to reliable sources the report submitted to the state government by the enquiry committee, now headed by Justice Anup Chand Goyal after the demise of Justice Kejriwal, had clearly held the government responsible for the violent incidents. Despite the repeated demands made by CPI(M) MLAs, however, the government did not table this enquiry report in the assembly; on the contrary, the police and administrative officials guilty for violence of those days were appointed on juicy posts. 

Also, blatant discrimination was practised in regard to withdrawal of charges against the agitationists. While charges brought against the Congress and BJP men were withdrawn, no such thing was done in case of the implicated CPI(M) cadre; and even today they have to attend courts, which means avoidable and unnecessary harassment. Properties belonging to some of the party cadre have been attached. One of the veteran leaders of the agitation, Santlekha Singh, has already died because of the harassment which these court cases involve.           

Feeling utterly cheated, the peasants of the district had had to take to the agitation path against the Congress government as well, and Pawan Duggal, leader of the Gharsana agitation whom the people of the area made victorious in the 2008 elections by more than 22,000 votes, had had to go on a hunger strike in January 2013. This hunger strike continued for 11 days at a stretch.

With clearly an ill motive, the state government got Pawan Duggal arrested on May 8, and threw him behind bars on serious charges. This was the way the government, which always felt panicky in the assembly whenever Duggal and other CPI(M) MLAs rose to speak and put the government in the dock, has reacted in order to silence the CPI(M)’s voice during the run-up to the coming assembly polls. The latter are due in November this year.

But the people of the area, and of the state in general, have strongly retaliated to this move by organising demonstrations and rallies at various places. As soon as the magistrate pronounced a jail sentence for Duggal, hundreds of people gathered on the spot and went to the gate of the district jail in a procession. On May 10, there was a demonstration in Rawla town against the sentence and there were militant demonstrations in front of all the police stations in Shri Ganganagar district the next day. The people also gheraoed the Kotwali at the district headquarters. There were demonstrations and other protest actions in Hanumangarh and other tehsils on the same day.

On May 13, there were rallies and demonstrations in Jaipur (the state capital), Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Udaypur and other districts to protest against the arrest. Widespread anger prevails among the people of the area against the arrest and the people feel utterly cheated. Duggal too, on his part, has issued a stern warning to the state government that he would go on a hunger strike if the peasants of the area were deprived of canal water, and that a yatra would be organised as a prelude to a radical fight as soon as he comes out of jail. The CPI(M) state committee has also warned the state government to be prepared to face a statewide militant and determined struggle if Pawan Duggal were not immediately released.