AIPWA Mahadharna in Bhadohi
ON 9 December 2018, AIPWA leader from Bhadohi district in Uttar Pradesh, Com. Gaina Gautam was attacked by goons under the pretext of a goat straying in a field in Umri Gram Sabha. She was stripped half naked and badly beaten. She was severely injured. Subhavti Gautam who came to protect Com. Gaina was also beaten by the goons.
When Com. Gaina went to register a complaint against the attack on her, the Bhadohi police official Naveen Kumar Tripathi far from listening to her complaint, slapped her instead. When AIPWA and CPI (ML) leaders rushed to the station on hearing about the incident, the FIR was finally registered, however the police has still not arrested the goons.
On 2 January women of Bhadohi came out on the streets to protest against the attack on the AIPWA leader and against the forcible land grab from Dalits. The women took out a justice march beginning at the railway station all the way to the tehsil. The march culminated into a massive demonstration. Gaina Gautam, Subhavati Gautam and Pramila Gautam sat on a hunger strike against the violence on them and their oppression and also addressed the protestors. AIPWA Varanasi city secretary Com. Smita Bagde, Bhadohi district secretary Com. Kabutra Gautam, AIPWA state secretary Com. Kusum Verma, CPI(ML) leaders Anil Paswan and Ramjeet Yadav also addressed the dharna. Following the protest march and meeting, women submitted a 5-point memorandum addressed to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh through the district magistrate. They demanded that the goons who attacked Com. Gaina Gautam and Subhavati Gautam be immediately arrested and legal action be taken against them; a case of sexual harassment be filed against the police official who slapped Com. Gaina Gautam and he be suspended immediately.
The memorandum also included the following demands:
- False cases filed against AIPWA women activists for speaking out against and struggling against the forcible land grab by the government be immediately withdrawn,
- The ancestral land and land on lease belonging to the Dalits and government land must be freed of feudal occupancy and grab,
- Families of all poor be provided residence, residential lease and toilets,
- A white paper must be issued on the land of the gram sabha.
