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Bihar Sarvoday~ Versus Naxal N. K. SINGH THE Sarvodaya leader, Mr Jaya Prakash Narayan, has declared a crusade against the Naxalites of the Mushahari region of Muzaffarpur District. He has taken a vow that "either my bones would crumble or I shall succeed in my mission" ~of curbing the Naxalites. Mr Narayan arrived in Muzaffarpur cancelling all his tour programmes when he heard that two prominent Sarvodaya workers o~ Muzaffarpur had received letters threatening that they would be done to death. Mr Narayan decided to meet the Naxa- lite challenge by intensifying the Bhoodan movement and has selected the Mushahari region, the Naxalite stronghold in Bihar, to start his movement. 111e Naxalites did not kill the Sar- vodaya workers but instead threw an open challenge to J. P. by shooting PariksJ1a11Singh, a landlord-the 18th murder in their enemy annihilation programme-on June 6 at Mushahari, where just a few hours earlier the Sarvodaya leader had discussed with "prominent" persons of the ~locality how to counter the Red influence. According to reports, Mr Narayan wants to bring about radical changcs in the village society by re- moving social and economic dispari- ties by pcrsuading the village commu- nity to unite and work for the uplift of all by common consent. Under his programme one-twentieth of the village land (what about the re- maining land?) is to be donated and distributed among the landless, who are also to be given homestead land; Bhoodan land is to be restored to evicted Kisans, and other difficulties of the poor and downtrodden "and all forms of exploitation" are to be removed. This is the programme. But what is J. P. actually saying and doing at Mushahari under the protective um- brella of the armed police, helped by. all the loyal lackeys of landlords? Leaders of all hues are making air dashes to Muzaffarpur nowadays to assure J. P. of their help in his mISSIOn. Accordng to a political worker, who had the honour to attend one of the Bhoodan meetings of J. P., the Sarvo- daya( Imd~1r ,delcla~ed: You know, how the communists are converted. Those belonging to Hindu families are given beef to eat and Muslims are persuaded to eat pork. (The veteran ex-socialist leader knows how to make his impact on the religious rural folks). Mushabari Story Mushahari, the most troubled spot in Bihar, has its own story. 111e Mushahari peasant struggle-now more than two years o1c1-is consi- dered by the Naxalites as "the turn- ~ng point in the political situation in Bihar". The story began, in early April 1968 when the ejected sharecroppers of Gangapur, under .the Mushahari police station, seized sori1e land. At this, the landlord of Narishingpur organized an attack on the peasants by a gang of 300 armed men. The landlord himself came on an elephant. After a battle which lasted four hours and in which firearms were used by the landlord's men his hired goondas had to flee. A police camp wasl soon established in the area and several cases were instituted against the peasants. Soon enough. the 'private army' of the landlord under the protective umbrella of the police entered the houses of peasants and in broad daylight com- mitted all sorts of atrocities: raped their womenfolk, beat them up indis- criminately, smashed their huts and plundered their properties. Classl hatred does not die. Pea- sant guerillas took their revenge in July 1969 when they raided the house of the landlord of Narishingpur, shot him dead and seized his property. Two other persons were killed and 12 iniured in this raid. Actually the CPI(ML)'s party committee had blacklisted the landlord long ago and was all the time preparing for an attack. He was charged with playing the chief role in hunting down revo- lutionaries duriing last yiear's struggle, helping the police in trac- ing the underground leaders and be- ing instrumental in burning dozens of huts of poor peasants, elooting the property of peasants and subjecting them to inhuman torture. This was the first action in Bihar conducted by the CPI (ML) under their "enemy-annihilatiexn pro- gramme". Since then, armed guerilla struggle has spread in seven thanas of Muza~arpur. Its fl'ames have re- ached the contiguous areas of Darb- hanga and Champaran districts. And now almost the whole of Bihar- spclcial;y Purnea, Saha'rsa, South iMonghyr, iRanchi, Hazaribagh, Pal~ amau, Singhbhum and Shahabad dis- tricts-is being churned by revolu- tionary peasant struggles. In the meantime, the Mushahari struggle has itself reached a new level, i.e., the le- vel of a guerilla zone. To date, about 1~ landlords-most of whom had been charged with an anti-people role during the repression of 1968- 1969-have been killed in the region. - Ra3kishore Singh, leader i of the struggle, is absconding; an eyecatch- ing award has been announced for his head. The Mushahari struggle was con- ducted with the help of traditional weapons during its first stage i.e. before reaching the level of a guerilla zone. Armed with these weapons the peasantry has been fighting hard and repdling the attaQks made re- peatedly by the State and the-- landlords. The Naxalite claim that Mushahari is one of the few places in India where a successful guerilla warfare is being condllcted 'despite savage repression cannot be ignored. The cadres, the party and the people have to face in- human brutalities'. Over (j00 pea- sants have been arrested. Those arrested are invariably beaten up in the lock-ups and forced to sign so-cal- led confessions. Even distant relatives of Naxalite cadres are arrested and charged with murder and dacoity. The properties of many have been seized. Anti-Naxalite cells have been
Transcript of mISSIOn. THEnksingh.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Sarvodaya-vs-Naxal... · 2020. 8. 5. ·...
Bihar
Sarvoday~ Versus NaxalN. K. SINGH
THE Sarvodaya leader, Mr JayaPrakash Narayan, has declared
a crusade against the Naxalites ofthe Mushahari region of MuzaffarpurDistrict. He has taken a vow that"either my bones would crumble orI shall succeed in my mission" ~ofcurbing the Naxalites.
Mr Narayan arrived in Muzaffarpurcancelling all his tour programmeswhen he heard that two prominentSarvodaya workers o~ Muzaffarpurhad received letters threatening thatthey would be done to death. MrNarayan decided to meet the Naxa-lite challenge by intensifying theBhoodan movement and has selectedthe Mushahari region, the Naxalitestronghold in Bihar, to start hismovement.
111e Naxalites did not kill the Sar-vodaya workers but instead threw anopen challenge to J. P. by shootingPariksJ1a11Singh, a landlord-the 18thmurder in their enemy annihilationprogramme-on June 6 at Mushahari,where just a few hours earlier theSarvodaya leader had discussed with"prominent" persons of the ~localityhow to counter the Red influence.
According to reports, Mr Narayanwants to bring about radicalchangcs in the village society by re-moving social and economic dispari-ties by pcrsuading the village commu-nity to unite and work for the upliftof all by common consent. Underhis programme one-twentieth ofthe village land (what about the re-maining land?) is to be donated anddistributed among the landless, whoare also to be given homestead land;Bhoodan land is to be restored toevicted Kisans, and other difficultiesof the poor and downtrodden "and allforms of exploitation" are to beremoved.
This is the programme. But whatis J. P. actually saying and doing atMushahari under the protective um-brella of the armed police, helped by.
all the loyal lackeys of landlords?Leaders of all hues are makingair dashes to Muzaffarpur nowadaysto assure J. P. of their help in hismISSIOn.
Accordng to a political worker, whohad the honour to attend one of theBhoodan meetings of J. P., the Sarvo-daya( Imd~1r ,delcla~ed: You know,how the communists are converted.Those belonging to Hindu familiesare given beef to eat and Muslims arepersuaded to eat pork. (The veteranex-socialist leader knows how to makehis impact on the religious ruralfolks).
Mushabari StoryMushahari, the most troubled spot
in Bihar, has its own story. 111eMushahari peasant struggle-nowmore than two years o1c1-is consi-dered by the Naxalites as "the turn-~ng point in the political situationin Bihar".
The story began, in early April 1968when the ejected sharecroppers ofGangapur, under .the Mushaharipolice station, seized sori1e land. Atthis, the landlord of Narishingpurorganized an attack on the peasantsby a gang of 300 armed men. Thelandlord himself came on an elephant.After a battle which lasted four hoursand in which firearms were used bythe landlord's men his hiredgoondas had to flee. A policecamp wasl soon established in thearea and several cases were institutedagainst the peasants. Soon enough.the 'private army' of the landlordunder the protective umbrella ofthe police entered the houses ofpeasants and in broad daylight com-mitted all sorts of atrocities: rapedtheir womenfolk, beat them up indis-criminately, smashed their huts andplundered their properties.
Classl hatred does not die. Pea-sant guerillas took their revenge inJuly 1969 when they raided the houseof the landlord of Narishingpur, shothim dead and seized his property.Two other persons were killed and12 iniured in this raid. Actually theCPI(ML)'s party committee hadblacklisted the landlord long ago andwas all the time preparing for an
attack. He was charged with playingthe chief role in hunting down revo-lutionaries duriing last yiear'sstruggle, helping the police in trac-ing the underground leaders and be-ing instrumental in burning dozensof huts of poor peasants, elooting theproperty of peasants and subjectingthem to inhuman torture.
This was the first action in Biharconducted by the CPI (ML) undertheir "enemy-annihilatiexn pro-gramme". Since then, armed guerillastruggle has spread in seven thanas ofMuza~arpur. Its fl'ames have re-ached the contiguous areas of Darb-hanga and Champaran districts. Andnow almost the whole of Bihar-spclcial;y Purnea, Saha'rsa, SouthiMonghyr, iRanchi, Hazaribagh, Pal~amau, Singhbhum and Shahabad dis-tricts-is being churned by revolu-tionary peasant struggles. In themeantime, the Mushahari struggle hasitself reached a new level, i.e., the le-vel of a guerilla zone. To date, about1~ landlords-most of whom hadbeen charged with an anti-peoplerole during the repression of 1968-1969-have been killed in the region. -Ra3kishore Singh, leader iof thestruggle, is absconding; an eyecatch-ing award has been announced forhis head.
The Mushahari struggle was con-ducted with the help of traditionalweapons during its first stage i.e.before reaching the level of a guerillazone. Armed with these weaponsthe peasantry has been fighting hardand repdling the attaQks made re-peatedly by the State and the--landlords.
The Naxalite claim that Mushahariis one of the few places in India wherea successful guerilla warfare is beingcondllcted 'despite savage repressioncannot be ignored. The cadres, theparty and the people have to face in-human brutalities'. Over (j00 pea-sants have been arrested. Thosearrested are invariably beaten up inthe lock-ups and forced to sign so-cal-led confessions. Even distant relativesof Naxalite cadres are arrested andcharged with murder and dacoity.The properties of many have beenseized. Anti-Naxalite cells have been
