Lalgarh: We’ll fight for Jangalkhand autonomy: PCPA

Like the Gorkha and Koch outfits in North Bengal, Peoples Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA) the tribal organization in Jangalkhand in
south Bengal has raised the call for autonomy.

Speaking exclusively to TOI from his hideout near Lalgarh, wanted PCPA leader Chhatradhar Mahato declared, "We, the sons of the soil, want the rights to the land, jungle and water of Jangalkhand. We want total autonomy because our people and land should be ruled by us." He did not rule out the possibility of a statehood demand. " We will soon set up an united ethnic platform to raise our demand for autonomy." This is the first time the tribal leadership has expressed a clear autonomy demand.

With this fresh issue, PCPA which had emerged as a resistance group to counter police excess in the far-flung tribal villages has morphed into a full-fledged ethnic organization.

Criticizing the role of both state and union governments including Mamata Banerjee Mahato said: "The government is still ignoring the people’s voice here. We want the security forces to be immediately withdrawn as the majority of the residents of the area depend on the forest for their livelihood and they have been forced to stay away from the jungles by the security forces. This is driving people to starvation."

Talking about the success of their indefinite strike in Jangalkhand since August 18, Mahato claimed that people in the area were with them. They wanted the right to rule over their own land after being neglected for past the six decades, he maintained. "By branding each protesting voice as Maoist, the state is trying to smother the people of Jangalkhand. Two months back, senior state government officials visited the area and promised several developmental projects. But till now no work has started."

His allegation was echoed by villagers of the area. "Helicopter chepe asa sarkari babura to onek kotha bolechhilo. Eksho diner kaj debe, haspatal hobe, sorkar kom dame chal debe, khabar joler byabastha korbe. Kintu kichhui to holo na.( The officials who came by helicopter had promised so much 100 days’ work, proper medical facilities, subsidised ration and drinking water. But nothing happened," said Monoj Soren, a villager. Most schools in the area are still closed as security forces have camped there, causing much resentment among the people. TOI

Rally In Kolkata Against State Repression in Lalgarh

Source: Red Barricade

For more than three week, Red Barricade has not been able to report on Lalgarh. Meanwhile as state repression is showing its brutal faces, like destruction of health centres constructed and run by People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), abduction of two supporters of PCAPA, who were going to Lalgarh with medical help and medicines, people’s resistance is taking more concrete shape. Disobeying section 144 in the Indian Penal code, people of Lalgarh under the banner of PCAPA in regular basis organizes mass rally. Huge participation of people in those rallies proves that the people of Lalgarh demand immediate withdrawal of combined armed forces from Lalgarh and stop the ongoing state repression.

In support of the popular demands of PCAPA and to stop the state repression in Jungalmahal including Lalgarh, today (29 August, 2009) a rally was organized by Lalgarh Mancha (Lalgarh Forum) in Kolkata. Starting from College Square it ended at Esplanade passing through M. G. Road, A. J. C. Bose Road and S. N. Banerjee Rad. People from different strata of the society including workers, students and intellectuals have taken the streets in demand of immediate withdrawal of combined armed forces from Lalgarh. Slogans were shouted demanding immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and abolition of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). In the rally participation of workers and All Santhals Students Association (ASSA), a students organization of Santhals (a tribal students organization) was note-worthy. Sanhati Udyoug, IFTU, Gana Pratirodh Mancha (W.B.) also participated.

Lalgarh: Teen released after PCPA gherao

MIDNAPORE: Bhimpur in Salboni turned tense on Tuesday morning after the Maoist-backed People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) gheraoed the Bhimpur police camp, demanding the release of Tukai Mahato (15), a Madhyamik student. Police released him after the PCPA stir.

Trouble started when the joint forces, pursuing an intelligence report, launched an operation at Purba Patajharia, Balibandh and Neria villages in Salboni at 6 am to nab Maoists. But the large contingent of BSF jawans and policemen failed to nab a single Maoist squad member. Then, they allegedly zeroed in on local PCPA leaders, but they had already fled on hearing about the arrival of police. The joint forces then searched the house of PCPA leader Prasanta Mahato and his two brothers, Harisadhan and Tapan, but did not find any evidence of Maoist links.

On their way back, police took Tukai, Harisadhan’s son, with them. As the news spread, more than 5,000 PCPA supporters, including women, gheraoed the Bhimpur police camp,

demanding the "innocent student" be released. When the mob tried to enter the police camp forcibly and broke a part of the fencing, cops resorted to a lathicharge. Twelve people, including five women, were injured.

PCPA workers who gheraoed the police camp demanding the release of the teenage student feared that "false charges" would be slapped on him. They also demanded that the police camp be withdrawn.

A senior district officer said: "So far, we have found out that boys in the age-group of 15-18 years have been used by Maoists in various operations, including murder. So, we picked up Tukai for interrogation, but released him as we found nothing."

Maoists also took out a huge torch rally from Malbandhi to Dherua in Midnapore Sadar block on Monday night to challenge state home secretary Ardhendu Sen’s assertion that people were not with the Maoists.

The police administration was concerned, as nearly 15,000 people from 50 villages were estimated to have joined the rally, held about 18 km from Midnapore town and 20 km from Lalgarh.

Joint operation with Jharkhand after monsoon

KOLKATA: The operation to tackle Maoists from Jangalmahal in collaboration with Jharkhand will start after the monsoon, state director-general of police Bhupinder Singh said on Tuesday.

"We are in constant touch with the Jharkhand government but the monsoon is not the right time to launch the operation. The terrain is familiar to the Maoists but not to the forces. We are waiting for the monsoon to get over," Singh said. Flash floods, malaria and snakebites will be some of the major impediments if the operation is carried out during the monsoon.

In July, the DG, IG (western zone) Kuldiep Singh and then DIG of CID (operations) S N Gupta had met V Ram, DGP of Jharkhand Police. Bengal Police had sought free access to each other’s zone for the operation as well as exchange of intelligence inputs. However, Jharkhand Police had specified that they would not go for the operation until the monsoon was over.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had recently said, "…Maoists operating in West Bengal use their bases in Jharkhand to mobilise their squads. The joint operation (in Lalgarh) can be successful only if a similar operation is launched in Jharkhand in collaboration with our state." TOI

‘We are fighting for our lives and our dignity’

Across the globe, as mining and oil firms race for dwindling resources, indigenous peoples are battling to defend their lands – often paying the ultimate price

It has been called the world’s second “oil war”, but the only similarity between Iraq and events in the jungles of northern Peru over the last few weeks has been the mismatch of force. On one side have been the police armed with automatic weapons, teargas, helicopter gunships and armoured cars. On the other are several thousand Awajun and Wambis Indians, many of them in war paint and armed with bows and arrows and spears.

In some of the worst violence seen in Peru in 20 years, the Indians this week warned Latin America what could happen if companies are given free access to the Amazonian forests to exploit an estimated 6bn barrels of oil and take as much timber they like. After months of peaceful protests, the police were ordered to use force to remove a road bock near Bagua Grande.

Banned Thought: An extensive collection of articles surrounding Lalgarh

The Great Lalgarh Revolt

Posted by n3wday on August 20, 2009

This this was written by Banned Thought and is an introduction to a series of articles collected and posted on the site.

Starting in November 2008, the tribal people (or adivasis) of the Lalgarh village area of the Midnapore district of West Bengal, India, rose up against decades of oppression and abuse by the police and armed thugs of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). This party is usually known by its initials as the “CPM”. Despite its name, this is by no means a revolutionary Marxist party; it is instead a revisionist or phony “communist” party, which represents not the workers, peasants and the poor, but actually the ruling alliance of exploiting classes (capitalists and landlords). The CPM has been in power in West Bengal for decades, and has come to demonstrate that old revolutionary Marxist addage that revisionism in power is nothing other than outright fascism as far as the masses of people are concerned.

Naturally the people of West Bengal are more and more resisting this state oppression, but when a revolt like that in Lalgarh occurs, the CPM police and armed goons become all the more ferocious in their attempts to suppress the people’s upsurge and drive them back into submission. There are now huge numbers of state police and paramilitary forces in the Lalgarh area attempting to put down the people’s revolt. But the mass struggle is continuing!

Lalgarh: Cops fight windmills, rebels hold rally

Police dismantle the dais to foil the People’s Committee rally at Gohomidanga. (Below) Committee leader Chhatradhar Mahato addresses a gathering only 3km away. Pictures by Samir Mondal

Midnapore, Aug. 17: The People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities today foxed security forces, defied prohibitory orders and held a rally 3km from a village where the cops had turned out in large numbers to foil its gathering.

While the police were busy dismantling the dais at Gohomidanga and bringing down microphones, about a thousand people led by Chhatradhar Mahato assembled at Mongladanga.

About 400 jawans drawn from central and state forces moved into Gohomidanga this morning and took control of an 8km stretch of the metalled road connecting the area with Lalgarh town by noon. The power supply to the dais built for the rally was snapped.

Second phase of Lalgarh operations will also fail: CPI Maoist leader Kishenji

Kolkata: Hinting of another tough resistance to security forces in Lalgarh, a top Maoist leader today said the second phase of joint operations will also fail as “no government can oppress the voice of the people”.

“This is a people’s movement and no government can oppress the voice of the people,” Kishenji said on phone from an undisclosed location.

“They were not successful in the first phase so they are preparing for a second phase,” he said.

He alleged that the joint forces were disrupting studies of students because of their occupation of school buildings and also harassing tribals in Lalgarh.

Kishenji claimed to have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 12 and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on July 26 demanding withdrawal of the joint forces and that talks be held. “I have received no reply,” he said.

Alleging that all political parties including CPI-M and Trinamool Congress were trying to encash on the situation at Lalgarh, he said that “neglected by the government for years, tribals were now carrying out their own development activities.

Lalgarh prisoners on hunger stike

62 held on ‘false’ charges go on strike

Statesman News Service
MIDNAPORE, 19 AUG: Sixty two inmates of Midnapore West central Correctional Home today staged a hunger strike demanding their release and immediate withdrawal of the joint forces from the Junglemahal, according to jail sources. These inmates were held recently on charges of having Maoist links. The inmates claimed that the allegations were untrue.

On the other hand seven people of Salboni area, who were in jail custody for 58 days for their alleged involvement in anti-state activities (Section 121/ 122/123 124 of IPC and Section 25 and 27 of the Arms Act) where granted bail today by the district session judge Mr RN Guin in whose court they were produced. Another person Sushil Mahato was arrested from Pirakatha in Salboni on charges of having Maoist links today.

Communist Party Of India (Maoist) Message to the People of Lalgarh

Posted by parisar on August 17, 2009

We Hail Your Glorious Struggle!

Your Mass Upsurge Inspires Millions to Spread the Red

Flame of Lalgarh to Every Corner of the Country!!

Your revolt, with arms in hands, has risen like a storm against decades of social fascist neglect, misrule and terror. You have stormed the police camps, CPM offices – the centres of state terror – and chased them out of the area. For over seven months you and your comrades from the surrounding areas have practically paralysed the whole administration in a vast region. Not only that, while exposing the hoax of so-called development of three decades of the social-fascists, you have yourselves undertaken numerous development works through shramdan, like health projects, irrigation, roads, schools, etc. It is indeed an inspiring example of new forms of struggle for all of us to learn from resulting in the Call to build thousands of Lalgarhs in every corner of the country!

Lalgarh: Police demolish PCPA stage to preempt tribal rally

A procession of the tribals in Bankura’s Mejia. File picture

Midnapore (WB): A stage set up by the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities for a rally at Gohomidanga in Lalgarh in West Midnapore district on Monday was dismantled by the police and prohibitory orders imposed in the area.

A 1000-strong police and central forces team disconnected the microphones, demolished the stage at the Gohomidanga High School and cordoned off the area.

PCPA Convenor Chhatradhar Mahato, who was to address the rally, however, expressed determination to do so.

Mahato, who is wanted by the police since the anti-Maoist operations were launched on June 19 in Lalgarh by the security forces, told agency over phone: “I shall address the rally.

“The police are throttling the voice of the people. We will protest in a democratic way. We will not resort to violence,” he said.

A senior police officer said that prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been imposed in the area to foil the rally.