Despite being a banned and designated as terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 2009, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) is said to have successfully implemented a one-day bandh across Kolhan division in Jharkhand on July 10th, with repurcussions in the neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The bandh was called to protest against alleged police brutality in the Kolhan-Saranda region.
As part of their protest action, the cadres of the Maoist party uprooted fish plates from the Howrah-Mumbai main railway line, forcing all train movements to halt. The sabotage to the railway line took place between 2 AM and 3 AM. Security forces rushed to the scene upon receiving information about the incident.
They erected banners across the railway tracks between pole numbers 378/35A and 378/31A-35A on the third line of the Manoharpur-Jaraikela section. The banners, attributed to the CPI (Maoist) Southern Zonal Committee, called for supporting the bandh and condemned alleged police massacre in the Kolhan-Saranda area.Train services were disrupted for approximately five hours, from 2 AM to 6:10 AM, when security forces removed the banners and completed their investigation.
The bandh’s impact extended beyond the railways. In Manoharpur and Anandpur blocks, normal life was paralysed as government and non-government establishments remained closed. The streets were mainly boycotted, with both long-distance and local vehicular traffic brought to a complete halt. Only essential services such as ambulances, milk supply vehicles and those related to hospital emergencies could function. In Chaibasa, the district headquarters of West Singhbhum, long-distance bus services were suspended.
The bandh was called by Ashok, a spokesperson for the CPI (Maoist) Southern Zonal Committee, to protest police and paramilitary operations in the forest areas of the trijunction Podahat, Kolhan and Saranda. The operations included Operation Kagaar and Operation Clean, which are said to have resulted in civilian casualties in areas such as Lovad and Lipunga.
Preceding the bandh, five Maoists were taken into police custody in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on July 6, a police official said.
Those arrested were identified as Hemla Pala (35), Hemla Hunga (35), Sodi Deva (25), Nuppo (20) and Kunjam Masa (28), all residents of adjoining Chintalnar police station limits and active as militia members of the Maoist party in Surpanguda area. Maoist cadres were apprehended from Jagargunda police station limits when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters and district force was out on an area domination operation.
Anticipating the presence of security personnel near Singavaram, the Maoists, clad in civilian dress, tried to hide and escape, the police official said, adding, two country-made barrel grenade launcher (BGL) shells, one tiffin bomb, seven gelatin rods, nine detonators, explosive powder and other items used in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered from the Maoists following their capture by police.
The Ramakrishnapur police also arrested Mohammed Hussein alias Sudhakar alias Ramakanth. A founding member of the Singareni Karmika Samakhya, a frontal organization of the CPI (Maoist), Hussein was produced before the media in Ramakrishnapur police station in Mancherial district. This was after reports throughout the day on the arrest, with relatives saying he was picked up from his residence in Jammikunta in Karimnagar district.
A resident of Padmashaliwada of Jammikunta, Mohammad Hussein worked as a general mazdoor in the KK-2 Singareni coal mine from 1978 to 1981. Attracted to the Maoist People’s War’s ideology, he joined the party by resigning from his job and worked in different positions. In 2009, he was arrested in Bokaro district of Jharkhand and was in jail till 2013. Cases under section 120, 120(b) r/w 34/IPC, section 10,13,18,18(b) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act were pending against Hussein with Ramakrishnapur police station, Bellampalli ACP A Ravikumar said.
The CPI (Maoist) on July 10th condemned the arrest of Mohammed Hussein. Its Telangana State Committee official spokesperson, Jagan, in a statement released to the media, described Hussein’s arrest illegal, stating, he was leading a normal life after being released from jail 10 years ago.
Alleging that privatization of the Singareni coal blocks was part of the State government’s conspiracy, Jagan said people resisting the move were being branded as Maoists, and those protesting against the government were being arrested. He appealed to civil rights organizations and the public to condemn the "illegal arrests".
On July 9th a cadre of the CPI (Maoist) was killed in an exchange of fire with security personnel in Chotebethiya police station limits of Kanker district of Chhattisgarh.
The encounter took place in Binagunda forest area when a joint team of security forces comprising personnel from the Border Security Force (BSF) and Bastar Fighters (a unit of the state police), were undertaking a routine search operation in the area.
A controversial move, Operation Kagaar began in January, which is being opposed by the Maoists as a "merciless campaign of tyranny against people." They consider it as part of the crusade of the current rulers to "establish a New Hindutva India -- a Hindu-Brahmanical regime which is wiping out the poor peasants and the oppressed indigenous peoples."
“It is known that every reactionary regime faced with guerrilla struggles and rebellions, from the Philippines to Peru, from Turkey to Nepal, from Mexico to Colombia and Zionist Israel, massacres unarmed people and presents them as resistance fighters and guerrillas. Helpless against the guerrilla forces, the massacring states aim to ‘drain the swamp’, that is, to intimidate the people and tear them away from their living spaces in order to prevent the guerrillas from uniting with the people. Now Indian reactionism is once again focused on this target with the Operation Kagaar.”
After the statement and the call of the League to carry out actions against Operation Kagaar, numerous actions and statements have engulfed many countries of the world. Partizan has carried out many actions in Turkey and Europe. In front of the Indian Consulate in Frankfurt, the crowd mobilized by Partizan and the Red League chanted continuously “Stop the Massacres in India!”, “Lal Salaam!”
Meetings held in German and Turkish agreed that the Indian State had murdered hundreds of people after the Operation Kagaar was launched, calling th People’s War strategy in India is justified and legitimate. On July 12, a protest was carried out by Partizan and Rote Fahne Österreich in front of the Indian Consulate in Vienna. Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle and KOMintern also supported the action.
On July 13, Partizan and the League of Young Revolutionaries held a demonstration in front of the European Council in Strasbourg with the slogans "Long Live International Solidarity", "Long Live the People’s War", "Down with Imperialism, capitalism and All Reactionary forces”.
In Istanbul and Izmir banners wer erected denouncing the repression by the Indian state. Partizan also organized several activities in Europe. On 12th of July, it organized along with Die Rote Fahne, a rally before the Indian State’s consulate in Vienna, Austria.In Bern, Switzerland, Partizan and AGEB organized a rally against Operation Kagaar.
In Frankfurt, Partizan organized a rally before the Indian consulate. Roter Bund (read League) supported the mobilization. They carried out a rally which began at 2 pm with the slogan “Let’s support the liberation struggle of the Indian people, let’s protest against the massacre by the Indian state!” Speeches in German and Turkish were held and leaflets in German were distributed.
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*Freelance journalist
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