Widespread Attack Continues in West Bengal

From our special correspondent

INTENSIVE political violence against the opposition is continuing even after three weeks after election results have been declared.

In Basudebpur village in Purba Medinipur district, CPI(M) activist Amit Pradhan was brutally killed by the TMC gang. His only ‘fault’ was that he was a polling agent of the CPI(M) in Bhagabanpur assembly constituency. Pradhan, along with his father was kidnapped by the TMC miscreants. Amit, 32 and father of a child, was mercilessly beaten to death. Even after this brutality, the TMC activists tried to snatch his body, probably to cover up murder. However, the villagers were able to send his body to Medinipur district hospital.

Amit Pradhan was martyred. But thousand others who were the polling agents of Left parties and opposition like him have become special targets of the TMC attack after polls. Many of them have suffered serious injuries, their houses attacked and ransacked, family members tortured. Many have been forced to leave their residences. Hundred others have been ordered to pay ‘fine’ to stay at their home.

After the election results were out in the state, the attacks organised by the ruling party  are widespread but they are meticulously planned too. They have particularly targeted areas where the Left and the opposition got wide support. TMC has also targeted particular booth areas, booth level activists and important functionaries at local level. Apart from physical attack, all-out assault on houses are designed to instill fear among people.

CPI(M) state secretary Surjyakanta Mishra has alleged that the target of the ruling party is to eliminate the opposition as a whole. Even after a big win, they are afraid of people.

In Basirhat, barbaric attack took place in village Panigobra. CPI(M) has won in Basirhat (North) constituency, defeating the TMC. The defeated MLA of the TMC led the attack in the village which has mostly supported the Left Front in the elections. TMC goons went to Panigobra and tried to disrupt a meeting of CPI(M) supporters there. But initially they were chased away by the villagers. After some time,  TMC mobilised armed gangs from many places in the area and cordoned Panigobra. They attacked and ransacked houses, looted many shops too and then set fire to houses. TMC gangs blocked the road to the village so that police and fire tenders could not reach. When the police managed to enter the village, TMC miscreants attacked police too and some of the policemen suffered injuries. Hundreds of villagers were forced to flee the village. Panigobra remained deserted for a week. The villagers have lost almost everything, from household materials to utensils. Burnt houses, remnants of structures reflect the wrath of the ruling party in post poll West Bengal.

The residents of a neighbouring village extended their help and it was they who started feeding women and children from 250 families of Panigobra who were forced to leave . CPI(M) organised a relief camp for all – including the TMC supporters. But once again this effort at peace was disturbed as the TMC leaders threatened to dismantle the camp. 

In Narayangarh in West Midnapore, TMC attacked and looted the houses of CPI(M) district secretariat member Anil Patra and Party’s Narayangarh local committee secretary Sushen Sahu. They ransacked both houses, looted cycles, household materials, damaged doors and windows. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Surjyakanta Mishra contested from Narayangarh.

Newly elected MLA of Bishnupur in Bankura, Tushar Kanti Bhattacharya was attacked.

In Barjora, TMC gangs attacked and destroyed a number of CPI(M) offices in Pakhanna, Tajpur and other villages. Newly elected CPI(M) MLA Sujit Chakraborty along with other Party leaders went to the affected villages. When they were returning, TMC gangs gheraoed  their car. The car of Chakraborty was ransacked. The miscreants tried to drag him out of the car. He suffered an injury in right hand but could leave the place somehow.

Newly elected CPI(M) MLA Tapashi Mondal’s house was attacked in Haldia. Her house was ransacked.

As the attack continues, the resistance is also growing.

In Patrasayar in Bankura, TMC forced the villagers in Kantor to join their victory rally though the Left Front candidate was ahead in this village in the election. Naturally the villagers were not enthusiastic to join the TMC rally. Later a TMC gang attacked houses but villagers came out in numbers and resisted the attack. Some of the villagers were injured.

In Gotan village in Raina in Burdwan district, TMC organised armed gangs from neighbouring Hooghly district and attacked the houses of CPI(M) supporters. They began to loot the houses. First voice of protest came from Minati Roy, a 35 year old housewife. The miscreants assaulted her, snatched her earrings leaving her bleeding. This incident ignited women of the village who came out with whatever they could gather. They chased TMC miscreants and villagers joined in united resistance. TMC miscreants hurled bombs and one villager Mritunjoy Bag was injured. He was hospitalised.

ODISHA

CPI(M) Protests against BJP, RSS &

TMC’s Murderous Attacks

                                                                                                  Rabi Narayan Mallick

HUNDREDS of people along with the activists of CPI(M) staged a state level dharna on June 7, 2016 at Bhubaneswar protesting against the murder, mayhem and heinous attacks by the RSS-BJP goons in Kerala and the Trinamul Congress hoodlums in West Bengal.

Immediately after the attack on the CPI(M) Central Committee office  at New Delhi by the BJP hoodlums,  demonstrations were held at Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Cuttack, Rourkela, Jaleswar, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Paradeep, Khurdha and other places of Odisha. June 7th protest at Bhubaneswar is part of the campaign against the fascistic attack in West Bengal, Kerala and the attack on the CC office.

Party’s senior state secretariat member Janardan Pati presided over the dharna. Addressing the participants who came from various districts,  CPI(M) state secretary, Ali Kishore Pattnaik said that ever since the results of the assembly polls to the five states have been declared in which the BJP could not get people’s support except in Assam and lost its security deposit in around 500 seats of the six hundred odd seats it contested, the BJP-RSS is panicking over people’s growing disillusionment over their 24 months misrule and the non-fulfillment of any of their poll promises. Particularly, they are unable to digest their ignominious defeat and the resounding victory of the LDF led by the CPI(M) in Kerala. Hence, they have resorted to murder and mayhem in Kerala and the attack on the CPI(M)’S central office at New Delhi. Such murderous attack in these two Left bastions of the country is the design of the reactionary forces to weaken the democratic movement in the country.

Janardan Pati addressing the gathering said that along with Kerala another Left bastion West Bengal is also witnessing widespread terror and  murderous attack against the Left forces, mainly the CPI(M) by the Trinamul Congress goons being actively abetted by the Mamata Banerjee government. Not surprisingly, the BJP-RSS and the Modi government are silent on the attacks in West Bengal, as the TMC is discharging their responsibility of mounting an attack on the CPI(M), said Pati.

Others who addressed the dharna included state secretariat members Jagannath Mishra, Santos Das, Puspa Das, Dusmanta Das, and Jahangir Ali (Sundargarh), Harish Ch. Mishra (Nayagarh), Jameswar Samantray (AIKS) Jatin Mohanty (DYFI), Sala Marandi (AARM), Ram Ch. Nayak (DSMM) and Braja Majhi (Malkangiri). The speakers urged upon the people not to view such attacks as simply attacks on the CPI(M) or the Left. These are attacks on democracy and the secular foundations of the country. It is the bounden duty of all patriotic citizens to unite, protest and resist such attacks, they said.

From the dharna, a delegation went to meet the Odisha governor and handed over a memorandum urging upon him to communicate their feelings to the president of India and request him to respond to the occasion as the constitution enjoins upon him.

The CPI(M) in Odisha has planned to carry the campaign to the grassroots level.