Protest Demonstration

Tea workers in West Bengal and Assam are on a path of struggle for their demand for bonus and wage increase. In West Bengal, many tea estates in Darjeeling refused to pay a bonus at 20 percent leading to a day’s strike on 9 October in some tea gardens where AICCTU affiliated unions refused to accept an 8.50% bonus. The joint platform of unions negotiated with the tea estate authorities for three rounds of meetings in Kolkata which remained inconclusive.

Bihar ASHAs completed four weeks of their indefinite strike on 9 August with the resolve to carry on their struggle till the demands are met by the Mahagathbandhan government in the state. On 3 August a rally was organised in Patna participated by tens of thousands of ASHAs from all over the state to press for their nine-point charter of demands.

Protests and sit-ins were organised across the country on July 21 by CPIML, AIPWA, AISA and various progressive organisations and citizens groups against the violence in Manipur and criminal silence of the Modi-Biren double engine government. Condemning the acts of sexual violence against women and impunity provided to perpetrators by the government, the protesters demanded resignation Home Minister Amit Shah and Manipur CM N Biren Singh.

Marking one month of protest by the Wrestlers demanding gender justice, a candle-light march was organised in Delhi from Jantar Mantar to India Gate on Tuesday, May 23. The march witnessed thousands of people, including members of CPIML, AICCTU, AISA, AIPWA and AIKM joining the spirited procession calling for action against the BJP MP and WFI Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for sexual harassment. 

The incident of gruesome rape and subsequent murder of a juvenile girl Swati (name changed) in Ujiyarpur block of Samastipur district in ward no. 7 of Satanpur on 23 September, 2022 grabbed headlines. The father of the victim, Vinod Das belonging to Tatma caste, worked as a daily wage worker in Delhi to repay the loan he had taken for the marriage of his elder daughter. The mother, Phoolpari Devi had on that day gone to see her ailing mother. On that night, Swati's 9 year old brother was sleeping in an adjacent room while Swati had left her room unlocked.

Bihar Rajya Vidyalaya Rasoiya Sangh and AICCTU held a protest rally to reiterate their demand of regularisation as government employees in front of Bihar Assembly on 3 April. Their other demands also include monthly wage of Rs. 21000 and salary for 12 months in the year.

Thousands of agrarian workers and rural poor and dalits held a protest demonstration in Patna on 28 March under the auspices of AIARLA demanding immediate stop on the continuing evictions of poor from their homesteads in the name of various government schemes. AIARLA demanded from the central government to enact a Right to Housing Act and make housing a fundamental right.

A protest meeting was organised in Patna on 2 April to oppose communal designs of BJP and perpetrated riots and attacks on minority community using the pretext of Ram Navami processions in many towns of Bihar and other states. CPIML activists assembled at Buddha Smriti Park to condemn the recent communal violence in Bihar Sharif, Sasaram and other places. They also condemned police repression that let loose on the muslim community members.

Thousands of workers-Dalits-poor under the banner of All India Agricultural and Rural Labour Association (AIARLA) protesting against the demolitions and evictions marched to Bihar Vidhansabha on March 28th. CPIML MLAs also joined the protest in solidarity with their demands against the on-going evictions in Bihar and Modi government’s cutting down of MGNREGA budget.

West Bengal nowadays is churned with students youth agitation against recruitment scams depriving deserving job aspirants in various government appointments. Corruption at many levels have gradually surfaced in appointments of teaching and non-teaching, Group C & D, and nursing staffs. Hundreds of eligible candidates have been denied jobs despite of being included in the merit list while the ineligible candidates are appointed in exchange of bribes of lakhs of rupees.