WB: Police Brutality Fails to Stop DYFI Uttar Kanya Abhiyan
Subinoy Moulik
APRIL 13 saw a massive mobilisation of DYFI activists marching along the main thoroughfare in Siliguri towards the Uttar Kanya, the branch secretariat building for north Bengal, to get their message heard. The march was a part of state-wide protests on issues ranging from permanent appointment to vacant posts and creation of permanent new posts, doubling the guaranteed days of work under MNREGA from 100 to 200, fair price for farmers, free and fair panchayat elections and against the politics of corruption and communal division. Thousands of youth took to the streets with banners and placards, voicing slogans.
And as has become usual since 2011, the government responded to the peaceful youth protest with ruthless force. Large police and RAF contingent was deployed at Siliguri’s Tinbatti circle ahead of DYFI's rally. Police put up barricades to stop the protesters. As soon as the marchers attempted to move forward pushing off the metal barricades, the police resorted to lathi charge and fired teargas shells on the agitators to force them to retreat. While many bloodied, battered andwounded young people, including women activists, had to be hospitalised, the protestors broke the police cordon and dodged the huge police contingent to arrive at the gates of Uttar Kanya. After reaching Uttar Kanya, DYFI leaders and activists locked the main gate as an act of symbolic protest against corruption and misgovernance.
Thursday, April 13, 1 pm. All one could see at Airview Mod near Mahananda Bridge was a massive presence of young people carrying flags and festoons and shouting slogans. A little later, around 1:30 pm, the youth wave hit the streets of Siliguri. Extensive preparations were made since Wednesday night to make Uttar Kanya March a success. Young people from different parts of the state gathered in Siliguri to give a message of resistance through the Uttarakanyaabhiyan(march).
Uttar Kanyamarch raised the question, what happened to the proposed AIIMS hospital in Raiganj? Where has the promise of setting up employment-oriented and agriculture-based industries in the districts of North Bengal gone? DYFI has also demanded opening of closed tea plantations, improvement of living conditions of tea workers, grant of patta and basic minimum wages. The principal demand was that employment should be provided to the unemployed youth of the state including north Bengal.
Before the start of the march, all-India general secretary of DYFI Himghnaraj Bhattacharya, state president Dhrubajyoti Saha, state secretary Meenakshi Mukherjee, youth leader Kalatan Dasgupta and others spoke in a short meeting detailing the demands. Then the march moved forward in an unstoppable mood. The activists occupied the entire road to Uttar Kanya.
As soon as the Uttar Kanya-bound march reached the Tinbatti intersection, the police set up iron barricades to stop the marchers. At first, the police could not stop the progress. After that, the police became furious. They were determined to keep the protestors off the main barricade. The marchers also tried to build resistance in defence and beat back the onslaught of the police. Police started lathi‐charge, but the demonstrators were not backing down. The police used lathis at Tinbatti Mod, Jalpai Mod and a number of places. They also burst several rounds of tear- gas shells. However, in the meantime, a group of DYFI workers had reached in front of the Uttar Kanya administrative building and locked the gate, leaving the police stupefied. Fastening the locks, the youth workers said, “Our aim was to reach Uttarkanya. We have done it. So we have shown the administration that we cannot be stopped.”
The police brazenly attacked the youth march with batons and turned the Tinbatti intersection into a virtual battlefield arresting 23 DYFI activists including Meenakshi Mukherjee, Dhrubajyoti Saha. The police had already stocked water cannons and started acting belligerent from the very beginning. Meenakshi Mukherjee said at the time of her arrest that the police had been informed in advance. “We had sought an appointment with the administrative heads here. Let us be clear, we are not here to break anything. We came to interact. We were ready with a 14-point demand charter. We have asked the police many times to arrange for a deputation. The police officers had called us to know our plan. We said we would march to Uttar Kanya. They said they would arrange so that we might send a deputation of five people. But when we got at Tinbatti the police suddenly started attacking us.”
She further said, “We told the police we shall hold a peaceful sit-in demonstration. But the police did not listen. We were forcefully dragged to the police van. I wish to warn the administrative authorities that you can't hide the mismanagement of the Uttar Kanya office by making all this commotion. We wanted to talk to them face-to-face. Even after that, the police beat us. Many of our activists are grievously hurt on their legs, arms, foreheads and eyes. The police detachments attacked an unarmed crowd of activists without any provocation. The Trinamool government's police could not afford to allow us to reach the headquarters of Uttarkanya because they knew their masters had no answers to our questions. Now, DYFI workers shall go to every booth of the state conveying these demands.”
On hearing the news of the arrest of youth leader Meenakshi and other youths,senior Party leader Ashok Bhattacharya, CPI (M) West Bengal state secretariat member Jibesh Sarkar, CPI (M) Darjeeling district secretary Saman Pathak and others rushed to the New Jalpaiguri police station. By that time, hundreds of DYFI workers and supporters had gathered in front of the police station. The protest continued in front of the New Jalpaiguri police station demanding the unconditional release of all those arrested. CPI(M) leader Ashok Bhattacharya said that the North Bengal Development Department is not doing any work. This programme was a previously announced one. However, the police charged ferociously. This shows the state of affairs in Bengal.
After being taken to the police station, the activists were even denied drinking water. Later, the leadership arranged water and ice for the arrested youth. The DYFI leadership alleged that the police were repeatedly told that many were fasting during the month of Ramzan. However, the police acted in the most inhuman manner beating up the fasting youth. The male policemen put their hands on the young women. It is alleged that even mobile phones had been confiscated by the police. Later, under public pressure, the arrested activists were released in the evening.
