Academics deplore Maoist, police violence

Eminent academics and journalists have expressed deep concern at the ongoing violence and massive police action in Lalgarh. This will only lead to another round of blood-letting and a spiral of renewed violence, tragedy and injustice.

"We deplore the reckless, self-serving violence of the Maoists, who have exploited West Bengal's post-election chaos by using deprived and angry tribals as pawns and by brutally attacking CPM cadres and offices. This cannot be rationalised as just retaliation against the violence unleashed by the CPM over the years. The two kinds of violence only feed and aggravate each other," they said in a statement issued to Hardnews in Delhi.

"We are profoundly disturbed by the massive central and state armed police operation in Lalgarh-Jangalmahal in West Bengal. This was launched without exploring a negotiated settlement of genuine popular grievances and by blurring the crucial distinction between violent Maoists and peace-minded civilians." The operation is severely hitting civilian life and social safety in an extremely backward area "with sub-human living conditions and absence of public services and social opportunity worsened by unremitting police atrocities".

"Deplorably, the media has equated the Maoists with the People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA), which has conducted a democratic and peaceful struggle among tribals for dignity and security, and against State excesses," the intellectuals said. The signatories, among others, include historians Sumit and Tanika Sarkar, Editor, Mainstream, Sumit Chakravartty, columnist Praful Bidwai and professor of political science in Delhi University, Achin Vanaik.

Meanwhile, the Central Office of the CPI-ML (Liberation) has stated that the recent developments in Lalgarh in the adivasi belt of West Midnapore district of West Bengal are a source of serious concern for all well-wishers of people's movements in West Bengal and the country. "It must be remembered that the current phase of agitation in Lalgarh was an eruption of mass resentment of adivasis against the daily State-repression and police atrocities against tribals, especially against women, which intensified after the land mine explosion on November 2, 2008 targeting the convoy of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as it returned from the inauguration of the Jindal Steel Works SEZ in Salboni in West Midnapore district," said Prabhat Kumar on behalf of the party.

The CPI-ML has argued that the agitation conducted by the People's Committee against Police Atrocities was based on popular mass participation, with the central demand of punishment for the police officials responsible for atrocities on the adivasis, and as such received solidarity and support from a wide section of democratic opinion in West Bengal and beyond. "The Lalgarh agitation, like struggles at Singur and Nandigram, reflected the popular anger of rural poor against the pro-corporate, repressive and arrogant policies followed by the CPI(M)-led state government and especially the terror unleashed by cadres of the ruling CPI(M) alongside the police." A recent instance of firing by CPI(M) cadres on a rally of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities further stoked the mass anger against police presence and CPI(M) leaders and cadres.

"While the mass agitation of the adivasis against atrocities and assaults by police and CPI(M) cadre received sympathy and solidarity, however, the instances of targeted attacks on individual leaders, torching of CPI(M) offices, and inhuman practices like public display of assassinated leaders' corpses, apparently by the CPI(Maoist), are condemnable. Such actions by the Maoist party are highly damaging to the people's movement in Lalgarh and all over West Bengal," said the CPI-ML.

"The CPI(ML) condemns the targeting of individual CPI(M) leaders and torching of party offices by the Maoists in Lalgarh." The party has demanded that the West Bengal government should initiate dialogue with the people's movement leaders and concede their legitimate demands without further delay..

Meanwhile, Maoist leaders have agreed to come at the negotiations table with the government if there demands are met. A press release issued by Sri Sri Ravishankar, Founder, Art of Living, read: "Maoists in Lalgarh have few basic demands like water, electricity, local language medium schools, compensation for deaths in the ongoing violence and cases against them to be withdrawn". The report also mentioned that as many as 118 Maoists are ready to join the government for a peaceful solution through negotiations. Sri Sri Ravishankar was in talks with Maoist leader Chakradhar Mahato and urged the group to lay arms.

In Siliguri, West Bengal, the legendary naxalite leader and one of the founders of the CPI-ML in the 1960s, Kanu Sanyal, denounced the use of women and children as shields. Speaking to a news agency, Sanyal said, "Using women and children as human shields is not a Maoist strategy. Those who are doing it have no knowledge of Maoist strategy." He also emphasised that the use of security forces to "flush out so-called Maoists" from Lalgarh is also not the ultimate solution of problems there.

"The people there have lost faith in the CPM-led Left Front government in West Bengal. It did nothing for them in the last 32 years of its rule," said Sanyal.

Earlier, a fact-finding team comprising some students from JNU and journalists visited Lalgarh. In a statement released to the media, they urged the media to revisit Lalgarh. "The movement has its roots in extremely impoverished socio-economic conditions increased by the inaction of the state. The state is bound to strike back at this fight of the people. The CRPF and other Central forces will soon come with the orders to open fire on the resilient masses. The state government is also shamelessly asking the notorious and infamous Greyhound and Cobra to come and crush the people's movement. That will be the most unfortunate and condemnable thing. The anger of the masses against massive State terror, underdevelopment and corruption is valid."

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