Protest Meeting in Bhojpur against Killing of Comrade Ramakant Ram
ON 27 August 2018 former CPI(ML) activist Com. Ramakant Ram was killed in Bhojpur district at village Nadhi known for the past 25 years for its anti-feudal struggles. In the days when the CPI (ML) was leading struggles in the area against feudal forces like the Ranveer Sena, many poor, dalits, and young people participated actively in the struggle. Com. Ramakant Ram was one of those at the forefront of those struggles. The killing of Com. Ramakant Ram is a clear indication of the heightened morale of feudal forces in the BJP regime and the start of a new phase of attacks and violence against the poor and dalits.
Com. Ramakant Ram was on his way to the woods in the east to relieve himself in the morning when feudal goons Ritesh Rai and Vikesh Rai ambushed him, shot and killed him and fled from the scene. On receiving the news CPI(ML) Central Committee member Com. Manoj Manzil and other local leaders went to the spot Hundreds of villagers gathered at the spot of the murder. Police officials who arrived wanted to take the body into their custody but they were stopped from doing so. Finally, District SP Avkash Kumar arrived and agreed to the demands of the people which included the immediate arrest of the named accused persons.
Only few years back feudal forces in this area had killed popular young leader Com. Satish Yadav. Recently, Com. Rajendra Sao was also killed by same forces in Baruhi. A dalit student who was campaigning house-to-house in Narayanpur for the ‘Oust BJP Save India’ campaign was tied to a post and beaten brutally by feudal persons. These incidents show us how rapidly the morale of feudal forces is being boosted during the BJP-JD(U) rule.
Com. Ramakant Ram’s killing has to be seen as part of the above series of incidents. After its formation in 1994 the Ranveer Sena carried out massacres even in villages where the CPI(ML) did not have any activities. People who were not activists or supporters of the CPI(ML) were also killed. But they all came from poor, dalit, or backward communities. The CPI(ML) stood strongly against each such incident which happened in that phase. Protests were also mobilized rapidly against the killing of Comrade Ramakant Ram.
On the same day an intense campaign was carried out among the poor. A Sankalp Sabha in the village was fixed for 9 September. Meetings with women, men, students, and youth were organized at Nadhi and neighbouring villages. A hundred to two hundred people used to attend each meeting. On 9 September large numbers of workers, farmers, students, youth, and women started arriving at the village with red flags and traditional weapons. The people’s anger against the killers of Ramakant Ram and their protectors, the BJP-JD(U) government, was boiling over.
The Sankalp Sabha, presided over by Dr Jagdish Chaurasiya and conducted by Block Secretary Com. Raghubar Ram, was addressed by senior District leaders, MLA Com. Sudama Prasad, CC members comrades Manoj Manzil and Raju Yadav, AISA State Secretary Com. Shivprakash Ranjan, and many other senior party leaders. The leaders cautioned the feudal forces and the government to stop violence and killing and called upon the people to fight together to give these evil forces a befitting reply. They said that Nadhi village has a proud history of struggle against feudal fascist forces and the attempt to push back the poor through the killing of Com. Ramakant Ram would never succeed.
