tribute

THE peasant upsurge of Naxalbari had truly resonated like a spring thunder in India’s communist movement in the late 1960s. It had empowered the oppressed people with a new sense of confidence and strength and opened the floodgates of their latent energy and initiative to secure their own freedom and change the face of the country. It had also acted as a magnet to draw the student community and significant sections of the urban intelligentsia to the villages to side with the fighting peasantry.

SANKALP Sabhas were organized on 31 March 2019 in memory of the martyrdom day of martyrs Comrade Chandrashekhar and Comrade Shyamnarayan Yadav at Comrade Shyamnarayan’s village Thepha (Jeeradei) and Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar Park near Comrade Chandrashekhar’s statue in Siwan. The meetings were addressed by well-known dalit leader and Vadgam (Gujarat) MLA Jignesh Mevani, CPIML PB member Kavita Krishnan, AISA National President Sucheta De, former JNUSU President Geeta Kumari, JNUSU President N Sai Balaji and JNUSU Vice President Sarika.

CPI(ML) leader Kalicharan Rai was shot and killed on 14 January 1981 by the police during the agitation inside Samastipur jail against police atrocities. On demand from the people of the District, the then Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur inaugurated a joint martyrs’ memorial in honour of Kalicharan Rai, Sukhdev Rai, and Rajendra Sah. The CPI(ML) observes their martyrdom day on 14 January every year. On 14 January 2019, a Sankalp Sabha was organized at the martyrs’ memorial in Chaknoor. Comrade Upendra Rai presided over the meeting.

ON 16 January 2019, Bagodar in Jharkhand was flooded with an outpouring of people. The occasion was the 15th martyrdom day of beloved people’s leader Comrade Mahendra Singh. On that day, the CPI(ML) had organized a Jan Sankalp Sabha at the Bagodar Bus Stand (Comrade Mahendra Singh Complex) with the resounding slogan of ‘Make BJP Bite the Dust - Oust Modi-Save the Country’.

ON 30 October CPI(ML) paid tributes to Ghutua martyrs of 1988 in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand. In 1988 thousands of people under the banner of Indian People’s Front (IPF), who were protesting against police atrocities, were subjected to brutal police firing leading to the killings of comrades Rijhani Devi, Balkahiya Devi, and Ramprasad Mahato along with dozens of men, women and children seriously injured.

COMRADE Jayant Ganguly’s 23rd memorial day was observed on 25 September at Hesalong village in Dadi Block (Hazaribagh District), attended by a large number of Party members and supporters. Senior Com. Kaleshwar Gope hoisted the flag. After a 2-minute silence and garlanding, the memorial meeting began. It was presided over by Com. Kaleshwar Rajwar and conducted by Com. Vinod Kumar. The meeting was addressed by Jharkhand State Secretary Janardan Prasad who said that Com. Jayant Ganguly came from far-away Kolkata and became the voice of the oppressed in this remote area.

CPI(ML) expresses shock and grief at the fire at the Bhilai Steel Plant which has claimed the lives of at least nine people till now, and grievously injured 14 others.

This is the second such accident in the past four years at BSP. There must be a comprehensive enquiry into the circumstances which have led to an erosion of safety norms at industries.

We extend condolences to the families and colleagues of all those who were killed.

Memorial events were held to mark the occasion of the 20th death anniversary of legendary communist revolutionary Comrade Nagbhushan Patnaik. CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar spoke at the memorial event at Nagbhushan Bhawan at Bhubaneshwar while Politburo member Comrade Dhirendra Jha attended the memorial rally and convention at Gunupur, which had been Comrade Nagbhushan’s home. Comrade Dipankar said that Comrade Nagbhushan had led the battle for democracy against the Indira Autocracy, and his legacy will propel us forward in today's battle against the fascist Modi Raj.

AISA and RYA activists organized a protest march in Beguserai on 5 September 2018 to observe the martyrdom day of Gauri Lankesh. The students and youth led by Feroze Sheikh and Ajay Kumar marched from the AISA District office at Ambedkar Chowk and passed through Katchhari Road, Nagar Thana, Nagarpalika to culminate in a meeting at the North Gate of the Collectorate. The march raised slogans such as ‘Long Live Gauri Lankesh’, ‘End Oppression of Human Rights Activists’, and ‘Down with Undeclared Emergency’.

The martyrdom day of CPI(ML) Founder General Secretary Comrade Charu Mazumdar was observed on 28 July 2018.