REPORT

Angry Protests against arrest of popular mass leader and former MLA Comrade Mahbub Alam

The surreptitious abduction and arrest of popular peasant leader and former Barsoi MLA Comrade Mahbub Alam by the Katihar Police, in violation of all legal norms, from a meeting in Kushida Hatia, West Bengal on September 1 has enraged the people of Barsoi. Comrade Mahbub has been framed on false murder charges. The police came in plain clothes and initially people thought Comrade Mahbub had been abducted by some gang. The police did not admit the arrest until much later, when they had shifted him to the Katihar District HQ, far from Barsoi. Clearly fearing a popular upsurge, they did not keep him at the Barsoi thana.

The very next day there was a spontaneous and total bandh in Barsoi Block. Even tea vendors shut shop; when the local BJP leader Dulal Goswami exhorted shopkeepers to flout the bandh, he was rebuked even by his own voters who declared that Comrade Mahbub was worth ten of corrupt leaders like him. NCP, RJD and CPI(M) leaders who had conspired to frame Comrade Mahbub did not dare venture out for fear of facing people’s wrath.

On 3 September, there were protests all over Bihar demanding unconditional release of Comrade Mahbub. On 6 September, braving both incessant rains and a menacing police force armed to the teeth, CPI(ML) held a Protest March at the Katihar District HQ, in which thousands of people, including women and children, marched on the streets demanding that the false cases against Comrade Mahbub be withdrawn immediately. On 10 September a massive Protest Meeting was held by the CPI(ML) at Katihar. q

ASHA Workers’ Conference held in Patna

ASHA women health workers organized to raise their voice against the Government through a conference held in Patna on 22 September. The conference was organized jointly by the organization of State Employees of Bihar and AIPWA. Around 250 workers from 14 districts participated in the conference and discussed issues like proper wages for their work. The members were addressed by employee leader Rameshwar Prasad, AIPWA National Secretary, Meena Tiwari, AIPWA State Secretary Shashi Yadav Executive member Anita Sinha. The conference elected a 21 member committee with Shashi Yadav as President and Bina Devi as Secretary. It was resolved that a state-level rally would be organized on 2 November in Patna.

Brutal Lathicharge and Molestation of Women at Workers’ Dharna in Rudrapur

Workers of factories under the SIDCUL industrial area (of State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttaranchal Ltd.) were brutally lathicharged on September 18. Women (mostly family members of the workers) who had joined the peaceful dharna were molested; several male policemen would attack women protestors together, tear off their clothes and abuse them.

The agitation here began several months ago against the illegal lockout by the Bhaskar Factory Management. Despite the clear evidence of legal violations by the Management, the Uttarakhand Government and local Administration have protected the management and penalised the workers. The agitation spread to neighbouring factories as well. In the ACME Telepower factory, 3 workers were thrown out for participating in the protest; and when a Strike was held to demand restoration of these activists to their jobs, 200 workers were thrown out. The peaceful protest dharna at the factory gates has been ongoing for a long period.

On September 18, around 150 workers and their family members were at the dharna spot at the factory gates. They were brutally lathicharged, and 70 activists have been arrested. These include AICCTU leader KK Bora, SIDCUL workers’ leaders Vijay Sharma, Shishupal Negi and Harish Joshi as well as CPI(ML) leader Sanjay Sharma.

In response to the outcry against the brutal assault on workers and women (footage of which was carried by some media channels), the DGP has ordered an enquiry. But the fact that the SDM was present during this display of police brutality, and management goons in plain clothes joined the police force in their attack, shows that the crackdown and attack on workers has happened with the full approval and under the orders of the Uttarakhand Government.

The CPI(ML) has demanded punishment of the police officials guilty of the lathicharge and assault on women; release and withdrawal of charges on all the workers and leaders; and immediate compliance with the just demands of the workers.

CPI(ML) Bihar State Cadre Convention in Patna Towards 8th Party Congress

Intensifying the preparations for the 8th Party Congress, scheduled to be held in Kolkata from 10 to 18 December, the Party’s Bihar State Committee organized a state level cadre convention in Patna on September 17. More than one thousand cadres hailing from all parts of the state participated in the convention. The main speaker at the Convention was Party General Secretary Comrade Dipankar who appealed to all genuine communists to march with CPI (ML) for thoroughgoing democratization of India and resistance to imperialism. Comrade Nand Kishor Prasad, Party State Secretary, Ram Jatan Sharma, In-charge, Party’s Central Education department and other CPI(ML) leaders also addressed the convention. The Convention expressed serious concern over the rising graph of crime and police highhandedness in Bihar. The Convention strongly condemned the arrest of the leaders of Party and mass organizations under patently false and fabricated charges. They include Comrades Mahboob Alam, ex. MLA, Amarjit Kushwaha, State Secretary RYA (Siwan), AnilPatel (Nalanda), Madan Prajapati (Aurangabad), Upadhyay Yadav (Arwal) and Kesari Yadav (Darbhanga).