Anti-CAA-NRC-NPR Protests Across the Country : People’s Convention in Patna against CAA-NRC-NPR

CPIML and Insaf Manch organized a people’s convention in Patna on 31 January 2020 to demand the passing of a resolution against CAA-NRC-NPR in the Bihar Assembly. Addressing the conference, CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that a government which calls its citizens ‘illegal’ is an ‘illegal’ government and should step down from power at once. These draconian laws are not just against minorities but also against the poor, workers, farmers, and the common citizens of the country. He said that we must make the villages and towns of the country into ‘Shaheen Bags’ and expose the treachery and lies of the government. When the NRC acquired notoriety, the government started speaking of NPR, but they will not deceive the people of India. The government is playing a new game after its experience in Assam. They will identify certain people through NPR and put them in the list of ‘doubtful citizens’. Clearly, dalits, poor, workers, farmers, minorities and BJP’s political rivals will be hardest hit. Nitish Kumar is lying blatantly on NPR. If he is against NPR, why has he issued a notification for its implementation in Bihar? We demand that he should pass a resolution against CAA-NPR in the Bihar Assembly on the lines of Kerala and other States. He called upon the people to come out in huge numbers and make the march to the Vidhan Sabha on 25 February a resounding success.

He pointed out that 56,000 migrant workers from Bihar have been stripped of citizenship through the Assam NRC. The Assam experience shows that NRC will hit everyone, Hindus as well as Muslims. Amit Shah must be made to understand that the poor of India will be hardest hit, and they will not stay quiet and allow this draconian law.

The conference was also addressed by leaders from organizations including Insaf Manch, PUCL, AISA, AIPWA, RYA, PB member Dhirendra Jha, CC member Raju Yadav and MLA Sudama Prasad.

This Mass Convention passed following Resolutions:

1. A resolution against CAA and NPR should be passed in the coming Assembly session of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha and NPR should be scrapped entirely, so that there will be no confusion in the minds of the people. CPIML appeals to the people of Bihar to make the 25 February Vidhan Sabha march a historic one and a resounding success.
2. CPIML calls for intensification of the anti-CAA-NRC-NPR protests and for ‘Shaheen Baghs’ to come up in every village, town and city of the country.
3. CPIML strongly condemns the anti-Constitution, anti-woman, divisive hate speeches and dangerous ideology of the BJP-RSS and demands that the Supreme Court should take suo motu cognizance of these and guarantee protection of the Constitution and democracy.
4. People involved in struggles to save the Constitution and their rights are facing police repression and attacks by Sanghi goons even in the presence of the Delhi police. Such attacks have occurred at various places including JNU, Jamia, AMU, and many lives have been lost including that of Amir Hanzla in Phulwarisharif. This conference demands an immediate end of attacks by police and Sanghi goons, action against them, and withdrawal of all false cases slapped on protesters.
5. The Bihar government should immediately send to the Assam government the required documents of the 56,000 migrant Bihari workers who have been stripped of their citizenship through the Assam NRC, and should guarantee that their citizenship is protected.
6. Lakhs of dalits and poor have been issued eviction notices from their homestead lands in the name of Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali. We demand through this conference that the Bihar government should immediately withdraw this anti-poor scheme and guarantee housing land for the landless.

Left Parties Protest across Bihar in Support of Bharat Bandh

Left parties protested across Bihar in capital Patna and at District HQs in support of the Bharat Bandh called by Bahujan Kranti Morcha on 29 January against CAA-NRC-NPR and EVMs. In Patna CPIML, CPI and CPM activists organized a march from Buddha Smriti Park and blocked Dak Bangla Chowk. The march was led by CPIML CC members Dhirendra Jha and Abhyuday, Arun Mishra, Manoj Chandravanshi and Ganesh Shankar Singh (CPM), Irfan Ahmed (CPI) and leaders from CPIML, RYA and AISA.

As the protesters at Dak Bangla Chowk were peacefully giving their speeches, the police beat up AISA leader Santosh Arya brutally with lathis. When others protested, the police became aggressive and started shoving and fisticuffs, injuring RYA leader Sudhir Kumar and others.

Comrade Dhirendra Jha said that violence by the police will not succeed in stopping this agitation. He asked Nitish Kumar to come clean and explain why, if he has objections to NPR, he issued a notification for its implementation. He said that he does not agree with the statements by Sharjeel Ahmed, but his arrest is a one-sided action. Why is there no action against Amit Shah, Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma and others who are violating the Constitution with their hate speech every day?

On 2 February CPIML activists also organized a march at Darbhanga in support of the Bharat Bandh, culminating in a meeting at Pandaserai Gumti. In Eastern Champaran also, people came out in support of the Bandh and blocked the India-Nepal Highway for 3 hours.

Marches and meetings in support of the Bandh were also organized at Muzaffarpur City, Benighat-Gaya NH 57, Katihar, Arwal, Bhojpur, Supoul, Jehanabad, Siwan, Bhagalpur, Nalanda, Nawada, Gaya and other places.

Satyagraha and Human Chain on Gandhi Martyrdom Day

Responding to the call by Left parties, a one-day Satyagraha was organized on Gandhiji’s Martyrdom Day 30 January across Bihar including capital Patna. The program began with a minute’s silence to honor Gandhiji and other martyrs. Speaking on the occasion, Dipankar Bhattacharya said that Nitish Kumar is deceiving the people of Bihar when he says he objects to NRC; if that is so, why has he issued a notification to implement NRC? If he is really against CAA, why did he remove Prashant Kishore and Pawan Verma for speaking against CAA? He explained how the worst affected by this draconian law will be the landless poor, dalits, adivasis, minorities and women. He demanded that Nitish Kumar should pass a resolution in the Bihar Assembly against this draconian law.

Other speakers pointed out that while they were holding a peaceful Satyagraha against CAA-NRC-NPR today, the government and administration resorted to violence in Champaran to try and stop the peaceful protest there. Shooting incidents have occurred at Jamia and Shaheen Bagh in capital Delhi. Such incidents are extremely dangerous for democracy.

The program was addressed by CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Arun Mishra (CPM), Vijay Narayan Mishra and Ramlala Singh (CPI), Jitendra Nath (RLSP), Satyanarayan Madan (Loktantrik Jan Pahal), Sarfaraz (PUCL), Meena Tiwari (AIPWA), Sunita (AIDWA), Dhirendra Jha (AIARLA) and Abhyuday (AISA). Present on the occasion were leaders Kunal, Shashi Yadav, Rajaram, Saroj Chaube, Amar, KD Yadav, Awadhesh Kumar, Ganesh Shankar Singh, Manoj Chandravanshi, Ram Babu, Vishwajeet Kumar, Ashrafi Sada, Sudhir Kumar and others.

Human Chain in Delhi and other Cities

The joint call by various organisations for the Human Chain against CAA-NRC-NPR on Gandhi martyrdom day received a good response in Delhi but the participants were forcibly dispersed and many detained amidst a heavy deployment of Delhi Police and RAF. The same day a Godse bhakt fired at students’ march in Jamia and injured a student Shadab. The march was heading towards Raj Ghat. The police did not show any willingness to stop the armed bigot till he fired a bullet, the same police ensured that peaceful protesters in the Human Chain could not even assemble at the footpaths. Thousands of police and other forces’ personnel were deployed along the Ring Road leading to Raj Ghat who began arresting participants since 2 pm onwards. Still some of the contingents managed to form the Human Chain and got arrested from various places including Raj Ghat, Kashmiri Gate, Delhi Gate, Shanti Van etc. The call for the Human Chain was also observed in many other cities.

Shaheen Bagh Continues

People continue to pour in large numbers in Shaheen Bagh of Delhi. Last Sunday witnessed a huge and spontaneous people’s mobilization after the right wing threats backed by the BJP/RSS leaders’ threats. Now there are more than a dozen protest sites in Delhi led by women, the Shaheen Bagh has become a worldwide symbol of protest against divisive CAA-NRC-NPR design. All over the country thousands of such protests are being called the ‘Shaheen Baghs’.

A big contingent of farmers from Punjab reached Shaheen Bagh on 3 Feb to express their solidarity with the protesters. The farmers under the banner of Punjab Kisan Union affiliated to AIKM were led by its President Ruldu Singh who told that they are already holding ant-CAA protests at some places in Punjab and more such protest sites will start soon in other places including Mansa town. Another group of farmers from Sangrur district is due to visit Shaheen Bagh very soon.

In Bihar, huge rallies are being held against BJP regime in all the districts. The CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya is addressing a series of such rallies since Jan 29 to Fab 6. The people’s participation at all the places has been unprecedented.

Satyagraha against CAA-NRC-NPR Continues in Samastipur

The Satyagraha movement against CAA which began on 10 January 2020 in front of the Samastipur District Collectorate is continued on its 24th day on 2 February. Addressing the Satyagraha, CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that those who are unable to show their degrees are asking the people to show documents. In order to divert attention from price rise, unemployment, corruption, black money and the plummeting economy, the Modi government has deliberately created a situation of confusion and delusion among the people. One says inside Parliament that we will bring NRC; the other says in Ramleela Maidan that we will not bring NRC. It is a matter of shame that the government is telling blatant lies regarding the Citizenship Act and dragging Mahatma Gandhi into the matter. The government is deliberately defaming the Shaheen Bagh movement. Giving a fitting reply to the government, the country has grown hundreds of Shaheen Baghs in different places. Comrade Dipankar further said that a Minister in Delhi says, “Shoot at sight” and ready-and-waiting Sanghi and Hindu Vahini members are bringing pistols and shooting at will; and then shamelessly the BJP government is trying to protect and defend them. He pointed out that the people most affected by CAA will be the people of Bihar and Bengal. Those who are awake and alert are fighting, and we have to awaken those who are still sleeping. He called Bihar’s Nitish Kumar ‘Kursi Kumar’ and said that Nitish is BJP’s B-Team. Nitish is shedding crocodile tears in the name of ‘Hariyali’ (greenery and environment) while the landless poor are being deliberately evicted from pokhar lands they have long been settled on. He asserted that the anti-CAA agitation will neither become fatigued, nor will it stop, and nor will it bend or bow down. He said that the people of Delhi are very soon going to drive out BJP; and at the end of the year the people of Bihar will drive out JDU-BJP from Bihar. He invited the people of the District to participate in the gherao of the Vidhan Sabha on 25 February to demand passing a resolution against CAA-NRC-NPR in the Assembly.

The Satyagraha was also addressed by Dhirendra Jha, Rajaram Singh, Baijnath Yadav, Prof. Umesh Kumar and others. The program, conducted by Indradev Jha and Vandana Singh, was presided over by a Presidium comprising Prem Prakash Sharma, Mohd Akhtar and Phul Babu Singh.

CPIML Varanasi Office Raided

Late in the evening of Saturday 1 February 2020 police raided the CPIML District office located in the Cantt area of Prime Minister Modi’s Parliamentary constituency Varanasi. The Varanasi police raided the CPIML office and, searching for Central Committee member and District in-charge Manish Sharma, searched the rooms without any search warrant. The CPIML condemns this action and terms it an undeclared Emergency. Condemning the entire sequence of events, CPIML Uttar Pradesh State Secretary Sudhakar Yadav said in a statement that this police action is a conspiracy to silence opposition voices. He said that in its efforts to please Modi-Yogi the District administration is crushing democracy; that is why it is first implicating our Party leaders in false cases in the name of anti-CAA protests and then carrying out raid at the Party office. This is an undeclared Emergency. He said that the government is afraid, and is therefore trying to strike fear in the opposition. He demanded action against the officials and police personnel responsible for the raid on the Party office.

In the sequence of events, comrade Manish Sharma was arrested on 19 December in the anti-CAA protest and released through a legal process after many weeks, Manish is once again being targeted by the District administration. The police are searching for him to find an excuse to put him in jail once again, falsely implicating him in criminal charges vindictively. Such repressive actions will not stop anti-CAA protests, but will rather intensify and strengthen them.