Special Session of Bihar Assembly Accompanied By Massive Protests

O N 12 DECEMBER, the CPI(ML) in Bihar observed “Demand Day” to pressurise the Bihar Government to make public the report by ex-DGP DP Ojha on notorious criminal Shahabuddin, and also the report of the Amir Das Commission appointed by the Govt. of Bihar to probe Ranvir Sena’s political links. The Party demanded a White Paper by the Government on the criminal-politician-police nexus. The ‘Demand Day’ coincided with the opening day of the special session of Bihar Assembly. On this day, demonstrations, dharnas, street corner meetings, etc. were held at various district headquarters as well as Patna. Bihar State Secretary of CPI(ML) Com. Ramjatan Sharma called for mobilisation of workers-peasants, student-youth and all left and democratic forces all over Bihar to wage a decisive war against the criminal-politician-police nexus. In Patna, a large procession led by Comrades Ramjatan Sharma, CC member KD Yadav and others marched from JP Chowk and a mass meeting was held at the Income Tax square. It was proclaimed at the meeting that on 18 December ‘Pledge-taking Day’ would be observed on the 5th anniversary of Comrade VM’s demise and on 28 December, the first anniversary of Ashiana Nagar incident, a state-wide student-youth protest day would be observed. The mass meeting at Income Tax square, in which the Bihar Pradesh Kisan Sabha had mobilised thousands of peasants, demanded that a special session of the Assembly be called to address the problem of agricultural development in the state.

In Jehanabad Comrade Kumudini Pati, AIPWA General Secretary addressed a number of street corner meetings in Mali, Karpi and Arwal and expressed strong condemnation of the laxity in arresting the killers of Manju Devi. In Muzaffarpur, CCM Comrade Meena Tiwary led a dharna before the DM. A similar dharna was held at the Samastipur DM’s office. In Mairwa of Siwan, hundreds of activists marched in protest against the Bihar government’s failure in acting against mafia don Shahabuddin. At Ara, hundreds of workers and peasants held a procession. Similar programmes were held in Bihar Sharif, Nawada, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Dehri-on-Sone, Bhabhua, Dumraon and Chanpatia (Champaran).

Seven Left parties including CPI(ML), CPI, CPI(M), RSP, MCPI, SUCI and Forward Bloc held a meeting at the Bihar State Office of CPI(ML) and proclaimed a Bihar Bandh on 7 December on a five-point charter of demands: Make public the report by ex-DGP DP Ojha on notorious criminal Shahabuddin; and also the report of Amir Das Commission on Ranvir Sena’s political links; Bring forth a White Paper on politician-police-criminal nexus; open paddy procurement centres at block level and guarantee employment or unemployment allowance to the unemployed.

Initiatives in the Legislative Assembly

In the Assembly, at the initiative of CPI(ML), a meeting was called in the chamber of CPI(M) Legislature Party leader Comrade Ramdev Verma. With him, CPI(ML) Deputy leader Rajaram Singh and CPI leader Rajendra Rajan decided that a joint initiative will be taken by the three parties on the floor of the house in the current Assembly session to raise the question of the nexus between criminals, politicians and police. Earlier, legislators led by Comrade Ram Naresh Ram, leader of the CPI(ML) Legislature Party staged a demonstration before the Speaker to bring in a condolence motion on the death of AIPWA leader Manju Devi and Bihari workers killed in the violence in Assam. They also demanded that the reports on Shahabuddin gang and Ranvir Sena’s political links be made public.

Speaking on the condolence motion Comrade Rajaram Singh said that the killing of CPI(ML) and AIPWA leader Comrade Manju, Ex-Member of Jehanabad District Council, was the first incident of murder of a woman leader in a planned and conscious way in the state, a crime perpetrated by Ranvir Sena goons. This heinous act has earned public wrath and thousands of toiling people took part in her funeral procession. She was killed when she was mobilising landless peasants for the forthcoming national conference of Khet Mazdoor Sabha. He also condemned the killing of Bihari labourers in Assam by sectarian regional outfits and said that people of Bihar have expressed deep sympathy to those killed and injured during such incidents.

On 15 December, when AIPWA had staged a massive demonstration before the Assembly to protest the killing of Comrade Manju, the MLAs belonging to CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) jointly and forcefully raised the following demands within the Assembly: Immediately arrest the killers of Comrade Manju, Make public DP Ojha’s report of Shahabuddin and Amir Das Commission report on Ranvir Sena’s political links, and place a White Paper in this session of Assembly on police-criminal-politician nexus.