Attack on CPIML Muzaffarpur Office a Well-Planned Conspiracy

Despite lethal attacks having taken place now for two consequent days on the CPIML Muzaffarpur Town office, none of the perpetrators have so far been arrested. CPIML Bihar State Secretary Kunal expressed deep anger against this in a statement on 12 August 2020 and said that BJP-JDU is targeting CPIML for political reasons. There has been a consistent agitation in Muzaffarpur against the Urban Development Minister and local BJP MLA Suresh Sharma for a resolution to the problem of water-logging. Frustrated by this, a conspiracy was hatched to attack the CPIML office by criminals.

A high level CPIML enquiry team visited Muzaffarpur on 12 August to find facts about the details of the incident. The team comprised Politburo member Dhirendra Jha, CC member and AIPWA General Secretary Meena Tiwari, and Darauli MLA Satyadev Ram.

Meanwhile, Muzaffarpur District Secretary Krishna Mohan said that a dharna was held at the Collectorate to demand immediate arrest of the perpetrators; dismissal of the Mithanpur Thana in-charge who had CPIML mass base of the poor beaten up and raided instead of arresting the criminals; and guarantee of security for the CPIML office and local Party supporters. A memorandum was submitted to the Collector after the dharna.

It should be noted that the CPIML Town office has been working for a long time from Malighat in Ward No. 47 in Muzaffarpur city. Just behind the office are situated the homes of 20-25 CPIML supporters, but they have no approach road. The struggle for a road has been going on for a long time. A Panchayati was held at the CPIML office on this issue on 10 August, and an agreement was reached for the construction of a 5 ft. road, for which it was decided to issue a Panchnama. But suddenly at 6 pm in the evening 35-40 people from the dominant sections associated with the BJP entered the office, drunk and with intent to kill our Party leaders, and shouting that the Panchnama would not be obeyed. They insisted that the BJP flag, and not the CPIML flag, would be displayed here. Present in the office at that time were ML leaders Suraj Kumar Singh, Suresh Thakur and the latter’s 15 year old son Rishi Thakur. They were abused and beaten up and posters and flags were torn. The criminals tried to throttle Rishi Thakur to death. Suresh Thakur was attacked with rods. Suraj Kumar Singh was also badly beaten up. Prominent among the perpetrators were Sanjay Mahto, Pankaj Kumar, Munna Mahto and others. The criminals fled after the local people gathered there.

A complaint was filed on the same day at the Mithanpur Thana but no action was taken. Once again on 11 August the attackers came with weapons and attacked the Party office, and fled only after the Mithanpur Thana police came there. But the same night from 12.30 to 3 am the local police personnel, Bajrang Dal and the criminals jointly attacked the homes of our Party supporters, misbehaved with women, gave rape threats, brutally beat up and injured people.

The attack by the administration-criminal nexus raises several questions. Instead of arresting the criminals who attacked the CPIML office, the criminals led by the Mithanpur Thana in-charge entered the homes of the poor and terrorized them. This clearly shows that these people have the protection of big BJP leaders.
In addition to the CPIML office and the Party’s poor support base, RYA leader Rahul Kumar was also heinously attacked in the city.

The CPIML has stated that the BJP-JDU government has become unpopular in Bihar due to its anti-people character. The anger of the people has burst forth. That is why the BJP-JDU is now attacking us through the administration-criminal nexus. But let it be very clear that such attacks will not succeed in weakening our struggle. It is in the face of such relentless attacks that we have built the struggles of the poor in Bihar.

Despite the CPIML Muzaffarpur Town office being mortally attacked consequently for two days, none of the attackers has so far been arrested. CPIML Central Committee member and Muzaffarpur in-charge Comrade Meena Tiwari met with the Bihar DGP on this issue.

After her return from Muzaffarpur on a fact-finding team, Meena Tiwari said that the attack on the CPIML office was the result of a conspiracy by BJP leader and Urban Development Minister Suresh Sharma.

She said that BJP-supported goons perpetrated this attack because of their frustration over the consistent agitations against the BJP in Muzaffarpur. The most shameful thing is that some local journalists, under pressure from the BJP, have written extremely condemnable and false reports implying that the very presence of women in the CPIML office is tantamount to a “prostitution racket”. Such reporting is misogynist and deters women from political participation. Women and girls have always been able to treat CPIML offices across India as spaces where they are assured of their equality and dignity. The attack on the Muzaffarpur office put these women and other comrades in danger; women were threatened with rape; and this was followed by police violence on the women in their own homes. All this was done under the leadership of the local Thana in-charge.

The attackers have the patronage of the administration, and yet Nitish Kumar says, “Bihar mein bahar hai” (Everything is fair and fine in Bihar). In reality, the entire Bihar is today in the clutches of criminals and the days of this government are numbered.

CPIML Submits Memorandum to Bihar DGP

CPIML Central Committee member, Muzaffarpur Party in-charge and AIPWA National General Secretary Meena Tiwari met the DGP of Bihar, spoke about the attack on the Muzaffarpur Party office and the demand for action against Mithanpura Thana in-charge Bhagirath Prasad and immediate arrest of the perpetrators of the attack. A memorandum with these demands was also submitted to the DGP, who gave the assurance of proper action in this matter.

After submitting the memorandum CPIML leader Meena Tiwari said that the criminals who attacked the Muzaffarpur office enjoy political protection. The role of the Mithanpura Thana in-charge Bhagirath Prasad is suspicious. Even now instead of arresting the criminals the police are threatening and intimidating our party supporters while perpetrators Dharmendra Chaudhury and others roam free.

She said that Nitish Kumar makes tall claims of women empowerment but under his regime women who came to our office were relentlessly harassed and subjected to rape threats, and all this happened under the leadership of the local Thana in-charge. The days of this government are numbered and the people are now determined to teach the BJP-JDU a sharp lesson.

Below is a copy of the memorandum submitted to the DGP.

To
The Director General of Police
Bihar

Subject: Regarding the attack on 10 August 2020 on the CPIML office situated at Police Lines 6, Kanhauli (Mithanpura Thana) and the attack on the night of 11 August 2020 when dozens of male police personnel led by Mithanpura Thana in-charge Bhagirath Prasad entered homes in a nearby Mohalla, badly beat up women, misbehaved with them and injured them; regarding the arrest of the accused persons named in the Mithanpura Thana Case No. 126/2020.

Respected Sir,

With regard to the above matter we would like to bring to your attention the following facts.

On 10 August 2020 a three-party Panch was sitting inside the CPIML Town office to decide on the issue of the approach road to a Mohalla near the Kanhauli Police Lines. After some time, one of the parties, Dharmendra Chaudhury s/o Shakuntala Devi, refused to abide by the decision of the Panch, collected some anti-social elements and attacked the office. They vandalized the office, beat up and injured Party City Secretary Suraj Kumar Singh, Office Secretary Suresh Thakur and his son Rishi Thakur (15 years), showered abuses and threatened them to leave the office. They then burnt the Party flag. This information was immediately conveyed to the Mithanpura Thana. The attackers backed away when the local people gathered and the police arrived. The same evening a case was registered (Mithanpura Thana Case No. 126/2020). But the police have neither arrested the attackers nor taken any action. This encouraged the attackers and on the morning of 11 August they gathered near the Party office, created a hue and cry and tried to attack once again but when Party activists and the police arrived they went away, issuing threats. After a while when RYA District Secretary Rahul Kumar Singh went towards the Chowk to buy some biscuits, they caught him and started beating him. Malighat resident Rahul Kumar tried to run a motorcycle over the body of our comrade. This was informed to the police present at the Party office but they neither went to save him nor accepted an FIR in this matter. Instead, they spoke objectionable and anti-women things about the women activists present at the office and repeated the anti-social elements’ false allegation that ‘wrong things’ are being done in the office. Later on a case was filed by the attackers (Case No. 128/2020).

On the night of 11 August, under pretext of Case No. 128/2020, dozens of police personnel led by the Thana in-charge Bhagirathi Prasad forcibly entered the homes of CPIML supporters in Police Lines-6 Kanhauli and beat up and misbehaved with women. When the women objected that there were no women police personnel, more police personnel were called in and the brutal beating and terrorizing by the police continued for 2 hours. 6 women are badly injured. Rita Devi’s hand was broken and she has had to have it in plaster. Many women have serious injuries on the shoulders, arms and stomach due to beating with sticks. These women are: Hira Devi (w/o Sanjay Chaudhury); Rita Devi ( w/o late Ajay Chaudhury); Manju Devi (Ravindra Thakur); Nilu Devi (Rajkishore Prasad); Nisu Kumari (d/o Dinanath Thakur); a boy Shubham Kumar (s/o Sanjay Chaudhury) and others. (A video clip of the police beating at night and some photos of the injured women are also available). After this, the police went there in the daytime also and terrorized the people. Women and girls feel terrorized by the police action and are forced to leave their homes.

In Case No. 128/2020 many of our Party activists and supporters and girls and young boys belonging to their families have been made accused persons. Two girls named as accused in the case are college students Misa Bharti and Isha Bharti, and are sisters (daughters of Suresh Thakur); Mili Kumari (d/o Rajkishore Prasad. Rishi Kumar (s/o Suresh Thakur) named in the case is 15 years old. Also named in the case are Insaf Manch State President and CPIML City Secretary Suraj Kumar Singh, Revolutionary Youth Association District Secretary Rahul Kumar Singh, Office Secretary Suresh Thakur and other Party activists and supporters.

Sir, some anti-social elements with political protection are active in this matter; in addition, the role of the Mithanpura Thana in-charge Bhagirath Prasad is suspicious. Even now the police there are repeatedly threatening our Party supporters while the attackers Dharmendra Kumar and others are roaming free.

Meanwhile under police protection Dharmendra Chaudhury and Surendra Singh have enclosed the disputed road (leaving a passage of just 2 ft.) and constructed their wall.

This is an attempts by these people to create a dispute around the CPIML office, as the presence of the office there constrains the freedom of criminals and anti-social elements who find it difficult to mislead youth from poor families into alcohol and small crime. That is why a case has been made out against CPIML City Secretary Suraj Kumar. Our comrade Suresh Thakur, a resident of that Mohalla, despite being poor is educating his daughters and tries to give good guidance to the youth in that locality. Therefore he is being especially targeted and he, his two daughters and son have been falsely implicated. A girl belonging to our student organization has also been named in the case. Girls coming to the CPIML office are being slandered in a bid to shame and demoralise them for asserting their equality and rights.

Sir, you are well aware that women and girls come and go freely in the offices of CPIML and its affiliated people’s organizations, and we are proud of the fact that our offices are a center for the fight for women’s dignity and rights.

Therefore, it is our request that you take cognizance of this matter at your level and take action against the Mithanpura Thana in-charge Bhagirath Prasad. Please also kindly take action to arrest the perpetrators of the attacks on the CPIML and AIPWA offices, and withdraw the false cases registered under a conspiracy against our Party activists and supporters including girls.

- Meena Tiwari 
CPIML Central Committee member, and 
General Secretary, AIPWA