En México se realizó un acto de solidaridad en el zócalo de Oaxaca, a donde decenas de activistas de diversos organismos generados acudieron para instalar una mesa de información, dando lectura al llamamiento de la FFPS y el pronunciamiento de CP-Sol Rojo con motivo de este día; se distribuyeron cientos de suplementos de Periódico Mural y se colocó un dazibao de 3mts en el zócalo de la ciudad.
En dicho evento las compañeras del Movimiento Femenino Popular tomaron la palabra destacando el papel de las mujeres en la lucha de liberación nacional del pueblo filipino… “miles de mujeres en ese país han tomado una gran decisión que ha cambiado su vida y que cambia también la vida de su pueblo, estas mujeres han tomado las armas sirviendo como combatientes y mandos en la guerrilla maoísta del Nuevo Ejército del Pueblo… ¡sin mujeres no hay revolución!”
También los compañeros del Movimiento de Artesanos Independientes destacaron que… “el pueblo pobre en Filipinas tiene razón para luchar en armas contra un gobierno tirano; allí también hay artesanos que como nosotros son perseguidos y criminalizados por ser pobres y por ser indígenas”.
Los compañeros del Centro Cultural y de Estudios de la Ciencia para la Revolución Proletaria han dicho que… “así como en Palestina el pueblo entero se levanta en ejemplar lucha de liberación nacional contra la entidad sionista y su ejército de ocupación; así como en la India los pueblos adivasis se levantan bajo la dirección del proletariado desarrollando la guerra popular, desafiando y derrotando la “Operación Kaggar”; así también en Filipinas las masas más profundas del campo y la ciudad sostienen una gran lucha revolucionaria contra los gobiernos títeres impuestos por el imperialismo yanqui... La guerra popular en Filipinas ha cumplido ya 55 años y su único destino posible es vencer”.
Muchas personas recibieron con gusto la propaganda revolucionaria, haciendo preguntas sobre la revolución filipina y mostrando gran interés por la guerra popular en curso. Esto tiene que ver con el hecho de que Filipinas y México en el pasado formamos parte del maldito “Virreinato de la Nueva España” y existen lazos culturales y sentimientos de liberación que nos unen. Los pueblos de México anhelamos con sinceridad el triunfo de la lucha de liberación nacional del hermano pueblo filipino.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) gives its highest tribute to Maria Concepcion Araneta-Bocala (Ka Concha), Vicente Hinojales (Ka Hadjie/Ka Emil) and the August Heroes and Martyrs of Panay. They are Party cadres and Red fighters of the New People's Army who died resisting the Marcos fascist regime, defending the rights of the oppressed masses of workers and peasants, and fighting alongside the Filipino people to attain their centuries-long aspirations for genuine freedom and democracy.
Ka Hadjie, Ka Concha, along with Aurelio B. Bosque (Ka Zarco/Baijan/Rio), Jose Jerry Tacaisan (Ka Miller/Bronze), Bemjamin Cortel (Ka Amor/Ruby/Mamang), Romulo Iturriaga Gangoso (Ka Reagan/Biboy/Pedik), Jielmor Gauranoc (Ka Doc/Tango/Baron), Juvylene Silverio (Ka Kaykay/Purang), Armando Savariz (Ka Nene/Kulot), Rewilmar Torrato (Ka Minerva/Mara/Moray) and John Paul Capio (Ka Ronron) were killed in a series of armed encounters with the bloodthirsty fascist troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from August 5 to 15 in Calinog and Lambunao towns, Iloilo province, and last August 24 in Valderrama, Antique.
They are martyrs of the broad masses of the Filipino people, and heroes of the Philippine revolution. They devoted their lives to the interests of workers, peasants and all democratic classes, in their struggle against all forms of oppression and exploitation in the country, and to attain national and social liberation.
The Party honors the August Heroes and Martyrs of Panay with the highest distinction. Their deaths are a great loss to the masses of Panay and the Filipino people and weigh heavily on our hearts. We express our deepest sympathies to their families, the revolutionary forces and the oppressed and exploited people of Panay, and share with them profound grief. At the same time, we express our indignation at the Marcos fascist terrorist regime that continues to wage a brutal war of suppression against the Filipino people.
We give our highest honors to Ka Hadjie, member of the Central Committee and Secretary of the Panay Regional Party Committee. He was among the younger cadres of the Party who have assumed important roles in leading the revolution in the past years. He assumed leadership of the Panay region in 2016, after having played an important part in the comprehensive growth of the revolutionary struggles in Northeast Mindanao from 2006 to 2016. Over the past years, Ka Hadjie and cadres of the Panay Regional Committee have led the revolutionary forces in the region in resisting the relentless and brutal campaign of the Marcos fascist regime. He was 55.
We also pay special tribute to Ka Concha, who dedicated her long life to the revolutionary cause. She started to work full-time as a cadre organizer in 1972. Other than serving as a key official of the Party's Regional Committee in Panay, she was also assigned as consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in peace negotiations. Ka Concha abandoned all the comforts and privilege of the landlord class, and joined the oppressed peasant masses and Tumandok people in their struggle for land and justice. She would have turned 74 this August 26.
The names of the August Heroes and Martyrs of Panay will forever be etched in the collective memory of the Filipino people. Their contributions to the people's democratic revolution will never be forgotten. Their lives of revolutionary service will always serve as inspiration to the people.
We call on all revolutionary forces of Panay and the entire Filipino people to remember the August Heroes and Martyrs of Panay. Let us conduct memorial meetings to pay tribute and honor their revolutionary deeds. Let us draw courage and determination from their examples and pledge to commit ourselves to continue the people's struggle and armed resistance to achieve the people's aspiration for genuine freedom and democracy.
While some Party cadres and revolutionary leaders in Panay have fallen, other leaders of the Party in the region are now picking up the mantle of leadership. Amid the worsening crisis of the semicolonial and semifeudal system, aggravated by the anti-people and anti-national policies of the Marcos regime, more and more young workers and people, from both cities and rural areas, are heeding calls to join the Party and the New People's Army. They are driven by the urgency of fighting back against the fascist and oppressive regime.
The broad masses of Filipino people have no option but to fight back against the abuses and ruthless war of the Marcos regime directed against them. Marcos uses the AFP to serve the interests of multinational corporations, their local big bourgeois comprador business partners, big landlords and bureaucrat capitalists. Peasants and minority people in their millions are being dispossessed of their land and driven away by Marcos and the AFP to make way for mining operations, plantations, dams, tourism and crony infrastructure projects.
Marcos and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are fooling only themselves when they claim that they can crush the armed revolution this year or next. Despite having experienced setbacks, the New People's Army, under the absolute leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is resolute in its determination to wage armed resistance relentlessly.
Inspired by the rectification movement, and driven by the desire to fight for the interests of the broad masses, Red fighters and commanders of the NPA are giving their earnest to surmount all obstacles, face all difficulties, overcome past errors, wage guerrilla warfare and launch tactical offensives, carry out mass work, help advance the peasant struggle for genuine land reform and build the organized strength of the masses. With the boundless support of the masses, it is only a matter of time that the NPA will recover from losses and regain strength.
No amount of state terrorism will stop the broad masses of the Filipino people from advancing their national and democratic cause. They are unwavering in their resolve to defend their rights and resist the Marcos puppet and fascist regime, the current most concentrated expression of the oppressive and exploitative ruling system.
Imbued with the spirit of selflessness and courage of the August Heroes and Martyrs of Panay, they will wage all forms of struggle against the US-Marcos fascist regime, advance the people's war, and carry forward the struggle for national and social liberation until victory.
Let the memory of the August Heroes and Martys of Panay live forever! Inspired by their sacrifices, persevere in the national democratic revolution!
Long live the New People's Army!
Long live the National Democratic Front of the Philippines!
News has come to light that on 13th August 2024 at around 6 am, the house of Murali Kannampilly (Comrade Ajith) at Thevaikkal, Kerala was raided by the NIA in connection with KPHB Colony, Hyderabad case of September, 2023. In this case, Sanjoy Deepak Roy was arrested on the allegation of being a Central Committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist), along with “Saraswati”, his wife- accused of being instrumental in organizing for the so called proscribed organization.
Right from 2019 to September 2023, multiple number of Journalists, Writers, Students, Teachers, Lawyers and Democratic Rights Activists were implicated in false cases by the State under IPC, UAPA, Telangana Public Security Act and the Arms Act. The police divided their list of individuals under three categories, particularly people who they deem “top Maoist leaders” such as Namballa Kesava Rao, Muppala Lakshman Rao, Mallojula Venugopal Rao, Tippiri Tirupati, Kadari Satyanarayan Reddy, K.R. Reddy, M.R. Reddy, Paka Hanumanta, Gajarla Ravi, Modem Balakrishna and Konnath Muralidharan. The second category includes “other leaders” and the third category includes various activists and journalists such. Murali was also accused of being a” top Maoist leader” by the Indian state and was arrested for the same, but was released under pressure from the grassroots level, at both a local and international level in 2019.
At around 6 am, NIA arrived at Comrade Murali’s house. Despite not being given permission to enter, a group of eight officials broke open the door and entered the house in Thevaikkal. Murali had merely requested that his lawyer be present during the raid. In response, the NIA team broke opened the door and have been conducting investigations. Some months ago, as well, the home of Murali was raided and he was called in for questioning. Unable to build a sound legal case against Murali, the state has instead resorted to harassing and intimating the activist.
Murali is a 62-year-old heart patient who lives alone. Previously, he was lodged in Pune’s Yerwada jail for 4 years between 2015-2019 and was an accused in a 1976 case in Kayanna. This shows that the targeting of Murali was a very deliberate attempt by the Fascist state in order to curb the voices of dissent. Murali has been a political activist for the past few decades. By his contributions to international revolutionary theory, Murali is threatening the Brahmanical Hindutva Fascist state in speaking for the rights of exploited and oppressed people.
This speaks the very nature of NIA itself. Though it calls itself a national “investigation agency”, the agenda of NIA is clear that it serves as the guard-dog of Brahmanical Hindutva Fascism, unleashed to suppress voices of dissent by labeling of all democratic, pro-people activities as the activity of “Maoists”. Once these activists are tagged and arrested under labels like “Maoists” “Urban naxals” , the State is able to utilize draconian “anti-terror” laws which suspend the fundamental rights of accused people.
Through associating all forms of dissent as Maoist-associated, the State attempts to carry out a chilling effect which discourages criticism and dissent. The space to dissent, organize and protest is a basic feature of a democratic society which is being corroded. These scare tactics, fake charges and arrests are all targeting dissent itself.
Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) vehemently condemns these tactics of the State intended to curb democratic resistance.
Demands:
Immediate withdrawal of cases against Murali and all Democratic Rights Defenders.
Political Prisoners in India: On the State’s Conspiratorial Lawsuits and Agencies
On 5 March 2024, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court acquitted Professor GN Saibaba, Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Vijay Tirkey and Mahesh Tirkey of all charges against them. Pandu Narote, who was only 33 years old, died while in jail. In fact, this is a custodial murder, for which the concerned officials should…
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On 5 March 2024, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court acquitted Professor GN Saibaba, Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Vijay Tirkey and Mahesh Tirkey of all charges against them. Pandu Narote, who was only 33 years old, died while in jail. In fact, this is a custodial murder, for which the concerned officials should be prosecuted and punished. The extent of cruelty was such that the jail administration did not even get him treated when he was sick. Before he died, he was bleeding from his eyes and urine in the last days of his life.
Acquitting the other five accused, the High Court in its judgement remarked that “merely downloading communist or Naxalite literature from the Internet or having sympathy for communist philosophy is not a crime under UAPA.” In today’s era when any kind of disagreement with the government is criminalised, such a comment by the High Court holds great importance.
JNU student, political and cultural activist Hem Mishra, who was imprisoned in the Anda Cell along with Professor GN Saibaba in the same case, had already said in an interview given to a media portal named ‘Catch News’ when he came out on bail in 2015 before being acquitted that “believing in any ideology, even Maoism, is not a crime”. It took 10 years for the Bombay High Court to understand this.
It is noteworthy that the Bombay Court has acquitted all the people in this case for the second time. This is a wonderous case in the judicial history of India. Last year on 14 October 2022, the Mumbai High Court acquitted all the accused on the basis of technical irregularities committed by the police during the trial, which were also illegal. But the ghost of Maoism haunts the government so much that the Maharashtra government immediately appealed against this decision in the Supreme Court, after which the Supreme Court stayed the High Court’s decision in a special hearing and said that “as far as terrorist or Maoist activities are concerned, the brain is more dangerous and direct involvement is not necessary.” The Supreme Court, agreeing with the Maharashtra government, ordered that the trial be heard again not on the basis of technical flaws (even if they are illegal). On March 5, all the accused in this case were acquitted again on this basis. This proves that this entire case was not only fake, but it was also fabricated and run illegally. But unfortunately, no case will be filed against the police administration or the people responsible for it. This is the failure and limitation of this justice system.
Professor GN Saibaba, who along with Hem Mishra, Mahesh Tirkey, Vijay Tirkey, Narayan Sanglikar, Prashant Rahi and Pandu Narote (deceased) were acquitted by the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court in the fabricated “Maoist links” case.
The intention of the state and the police system engaged in its protection, the justice system behind running this case, has been exposed not once but many times during the entire trial. Hence, this case is an example. In 2017, the judge of the Gadchiroli Sessions Court, while sentencing all the accused including GN Saibaba to life imprisonment, said- “In my opinion, life imprisonment is not enough for the accused, (they should be hanged) but due to sections 18 and 20 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the hands of the court are tied. In my opinion, this is a suitable case for punishment.” The judge further explained the reason for his hatred in this decision. Declaring GN Saibaba and others as an obstacle in the development of Gadchiroli district, he said- “Gadchiroli is still the same as it was in the year 1982. All the accused are responsible for this, they are members of the banned organization CPI Maoist’s frontal organization Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF), who did not allow foreign investment here, due to which it remained underdeveloped.”
This judgement clearly reveals the judge’s bias more than his knowledge of law, he did not refrain from ruling on this bias either, which is legally wrong. The development model in favor of which the judge was writing the judgment is such an anti-human model in which the plunder of natural resources, the genocide of tribals is considered right. While Professor GN Saibaba, Hem Mishra, Prashant Rahi, Vijay Tirkey, who exposed this model to the whole world, were given life imprisonment, according to the judge, this punishment was not enough for them because the hands of the judiciary were tied by the law, otherwise the professor and others with him could have been given death sentence. In fact, Professor GN Saibaba, Hem Mishra and other such people are not obstacles to development, rather they are the biggest obstacle in the plunder of resources being done by the domestic and foreign imperialist companies, protected and nurtured by the state. Till the time they were out of jail, they were continuously exposing the plunder of the tribal lands and all the precious resources found under it and the genocide of the tribals, which was being carried out through the state-sponsored “Operation Green Hunt”, in front of the whole country and the world. To continue this model of development based on plunder without any hindrance, many people like GN Saibaba have been put in jail so that the voice of protest can be silenced. Rupesh Kumar Singh, an independent journalist from Jharkhand, who was exposing this model of development through his reports, is also lodged in Bhagalpur jail today on charges of having links with the Maoists. In fact, this has become the story of not just one place but the whole country. The state police agencies – NIA, ATS etc. have all been put to the task of pursuing those who oppose this model of development, so that there is no hindrance to imperialist loot. The conspiracy of the Bhima Koregaon case is a perfect example of this, under which those who speak, write and speak against this model of development are in jail, and those who are outside have been threatened with the same fate. The Bhima Koregaon government conspiracy has become an example of state repression all over the world, on which books are being written, articles are being written and appeals are being issued, but the government is not paying any heed.
Preparations Underway to Fabricate another Bhima Koregaon Case in Uttar Pradesh
After the Maoist connection case of GN Saibaba and the conspiracy of the Bhima Koregaon case, NIA and ATS are making the Bhima Koregaon case a model in many places across the country and harassing those who disagree with the government by filing cases against them and raiding their homes. A day before the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, political activist Prabha alias Anita Azad in Uttar Pradesh had a miscarriage in jail. It would be more appropriate to say that her health condition was deliberately ignored leading to the traumatic and cruel incident. These are some of the most brutal methods of suppressing dissent, which continue even after being sent to jail. Their sole purpose is to torture those who disagree with the government, physically and mentally, in such a way that new voices stop rising. The amount of anger and resentment that should have been seen in civil society over the murder of Anita’s child did not emerge. It is an important fact that despite Anita stating her medical condition, the ATS brought her from her mother’s house in Raipur to Lucknow. During her appearance in the Lucknow Special Court, she also stated her medical condition. 10 days before the miscarriage, the Lucknow Special Court rejected Anita’s bail plea filed on medical grounds, while it was also mentioned that she had already had a miscarriage a few months ago. This is her second miscarriage in a year. Anita and Brijesh, who are farmers and political activists, were accused on 18 October 2023 in a case registered in 2019 by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS). They were called for questioning in this case in 2019, then they were released. The ATS says that they have been arrested on the basis of the forensic investigation report of the electronic devices that were seized during the raid at their house 4 years ago in 2019. ATS says that both of them were working for the Maoist party by forming organizations like ‘Mazdoor Kisan Ekta Manch’ and ‘Savitribai Phule Sangharsh Samiti’. It said that the couple was propagating Maoist and anti-national ideology by forming these two organizations. It is evident from the very name of the organizations that talking about unity of workers and farmers and spreading the ideas of Savitribai Phule is not an anti-national activity in any way.
The Uttar Pradesh ATS did not stop here. On March 5, the day Professor GN Saibaba was acquitted of the charges, the advocate Kripa Shankar, who fought the couple’s case, and his wife Binda, a typist in the High Court, were arrested by the ATS in the same case, calling them Maoists. This clearly shows the State’s intention that the narrative of ‘urban Naxal’ or ‘over ground worker’ of the Maoists should continue to spread in the society. In fact, Kripa Shankar is a human rights lawyer from Uttar Pradesh, who was practicing law in the Allahabad High Court of Uttar Pradesh and is fighting in court against the state repression on the people. The important thing about Kripa Shankar is that he was preparing himself by studying specifically on repressive laws like UAPA to understand them. He was developing as a UAPA specialist lawyer, but he himself has been implicated under this law and sent to jail. The condition of both Kripa Shankar and Surendra Gadling, who is in jail in the Bhima Koregaon case, is exactly the same today. Both are paying the price of their legal battle by going to jail. This is what happened with Surendra Gadling 6 years ago, who paid the price of fighting legal battles for GN Saibaba and many others by going to jail. Today, Kripa Shankar is paying the same price for protecting democratic rights.
For the last one year, preparations are going on in full swing to make another Bhima Koregaon case in Uttar Pradesh. NIA is continuously raiding the houses of students, political activists, human rights activists, lawyers and a false story is being fabricated like ‘Elgar Parishad’. This time the story is not about a conspiracy to assassinate the Prime Minister, but that Maoists are spreading their feet in North India. These people are ‘over ground workers’ of the Maoist party. ‘Over ground workers’ is part of the new terminology of the Indian Brahminist Hindutva fascist state which is an extension of ‘urban Naxal’. NIA says that efforts are being made to revive the work of the Maoist party in the Hindi belt of North India. Based on this story, the NIA is conducting raids at various places so that democratic voices can be crushed in the name of Maoism. A clear picture of this can be seen in the press statement issued by the NIA recently, in which they said that the NIA has been moving aggressively in recent months to thwart the nefarious plans of the Maoist organization. Many Hindi newspapers have played an important role in spreading this propaganda. Such newspapers are one step ahead of an agency like the NIA in spreading this state-sponsored propaganda without any facts and references at different times for the last several years.
Use of UAPA as an Everyday Criminal Law
Telangana has a brutal history of state repression in dealing with democratic rights movements. In the past, the police in connivance with intelligence agencies have openly killed many democratic rights activists in fake encounters. In the last one year, Telangana has seen a surprising number of FIRs implicating more than 140 civil society and mass organization leaders in UAPA cases. Many people have even been booked under three to four UAPA cases. The truth of these FIRs is revealed by the fact that it also contains the names of many people who have died many years ago.
Like the Bhima Koregaon case, where the NIA used some suspicious letters allegedly plotting to assassinate the Prime Minister of India to fabricate fake cases against well-known activists and intellectuals across the country. On the same lines, a new story was fabricated in Telangana. Through the Godi media, a narrative was created that a diary was found with the arrested Maoist leader, which contains many important information as well as the names of these activists.
Based on this, raids were conducted on the houses of various lawyers, students, journalists, professors and democratic rights activists and the same story was repeated. The NIA uses many such fake diaries as a toolkit across India to implicate various activists in false cases.
Minorities under Target
The ideology of Maoism attacks the very system on which relations in current society are based, so we can still understand why it is under the target of the current system, but the scope of repression has gone far beyond this. In this system, those who advocate democratic reforms are also under attack. When the Citizenship Act was implemented in 2019, the ‘Delhi Riot Conspiracy’ case was fabricated, targeting not just leaders, but even those who were vocal in opposition to it and only supported the movement. What is even more saddening is that students / youth were arrested and put in jail, most of whom have not been able to come out even after 4 years. The government could not even tolerate the ‘Pinjra Tod’ movement fighting with the demand of increasing the timing of girls’ hostel. Taking revenge on everyone, the ‘Delhi Riot’ case was fabricated and many students, activists, and ordinary Muslims were sent to jail. Whereas those who instigated the Delhi riots, those who gave the statement of ‘Goli Maaro Saalon Ko’ have been awarded the post of minister in the government. The Delhi riots case is fabricated specifically against minorities and women, and even here the government is making every effort to deny bail. The ‘Delhi riots’ case is a representative case of the cases filed against minorities today, and there are many such cases across the country that are fabricated on a large scale to label them as ‘terrorists’ and ‘anti-nationals’.
In colonial times, the state fabricated cases like the Meerut Conspiracy and the Lahore Conspiracy to suppress the movement of people fighting against colonial exploitation and oppression, so that people of the revolutionary stream could be crushed. In the present times, we are seeing that the Brahminical Hindutva fascist BJP-RSS government, taking a cue from its colonial masters, is using the same tactics to suppress those who raise their voices against exploitation and oppression of the people as well as the plunder of the country’s resources by foreign and domestic corporations.
NIA aka National ‘Implicating’ Agency
At the forefront of suppressing democratic rights
NIA is at the forefront of suppression of democratic rights today. Since its formation, it has implicated many socio-political activists as well as common people from different parts of the country in terrorism related cases, who were later acquitted. Most of the charges against them were proved false. There is no better agency than NIA in fabricating false stories today. A common story has been fabricated in cases related to Maoist links, which is seen in every press release of theirs. They say that they have arrested a ‘dreaded Naxalite’ who is a politburo member or a member of the central committee of the Maoist party. In the last two years, NIA has arrested so many people on the basis of this story, that there are probably more people than would constitute the central committee members of any political party, let alone a Maoist party.
After that, raids start at the residences of various activists in that state or the border states around it, and nowadays, going beyond that, across the country. Raids are conducted on the basis that a list of names of the above mentioned people has been found with the ‘dreaded Naxal’ who has been caught. Today, ‘dreaded Naxal’ and the voice of protest both come in the same category. If today, a person near you is arrested on the charge of being a Maoist, then understand that preparations have been made to suppress the civil society or any kind of voice of protest in that area. Today, instead of being a National Investigation Agency, NIA has become an agency that traps people in false charges, which is arresting people in the name of being a ‘terrorist’, ‘Maoist’ or the most popular ‘overground worker’ these days, to suppress the voice of dissent and creating an atmosphere of terror among the public.
From a Small Jail to a Big Jail
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi after coming out of jail, Hem Mishra said that circumstances have changed a lot after staying in jail for so many years and then coming out now. Importantly at the conference, he said that he has come back from a small jail to a “big jail” whose scope is nationwide, where the terror of repression is widespread and the punishment for dissent is jail.
This can be understood even better in the most important Bhima Koregaon conspiracy case till date. In this case, 16 famous political-social activists were implicated in a fake case and sent to jail under UAPA. The trial of this case, arrests under which started in 2018, has not started yet. So far only seven people have got bail in this fake case. In this case, the basic principle of justice ‘bail is the rule, jail is the exception’ has been reversed and ‘jail is the rule, bail is the exception’ has been applied. If we read the bail conditions of those who have been granted bail, we find that they have been taken out of a small jail and stuffed in a big jail. In these conditions, the fundamental right to privacy is being violated by the judiciary itself. Shoma Sen, who was the head of the English department in Nagpur University, has recently been granted bail. She was in jail for the last 6 years. Her bail conditions are as follows-
1) Shoma will surrender her passport and will not go anywhere outside Maharashtra.
2) She will inform the NIA about her residence.
3) She will tell her phone number to the NIA, will keep it active and the GPS of the mobile should always be active. Her mobile should always be connected to the NIA officer so that her location can be traced.
All these conditions are there when the judge has said on the basis of granting bail that there is no prima facie evidence against her.
Writer and human rights activist Gautam Navlakha, who is an accused in this case, has been put under house arrest in Mumbai since November 2022 due to ill health after being imprisoned for four years. To top it all, the NIA recently demanded Rs 1.64 crore from him for the expenses incurred in his security during house arrest. These two examples make it clear that the scope of freedom has become so narrow that there is not much difference between the world inside the jail and the world outside the jail. In this era of undeclared emergency and fascism, the Indian state is suppressing the intellectuals as well as the general public with the help of draconian laws. To understand and expose the narratives created by the NIA and other agencies about Maoism and terrorism, it is important to know and expose the facts related to these cases, of course this is also a crime in their eyes.
by Deepak Kumar, member of Campaign Against State Repression
Eradicate Hasina-Awami-Indian fascism completely and utterly. Struggle for the Establishment of the Governance of the Struggling Students, Workers, Peasants, Poor, Middle class.
(August 5, 2024. Extended reprint: August 8, 2024)
-[originally published in Bengali. Unofficial English Translation by Supporters of Maoists in Bangladesh]
The 15-year Hasina-Awami misrule has finally come to an end. The students have won a great victory in their fearless movement. To achieve this goal, many different political forces and masses have made immense sacrifices and conducted valiant armed and unarmed struggles for the past decade and a half. In this continuation, around 350 lives were lost to achieve this feat at the last minute. Several thousand people were injured. Over five hundred people lost their eyes. Many more have become permanently crippled. 15,000 or more people were taken into custody. In addition to that, thousands of political activists and common people have been killed, and millions of people have suffered oppression and unjust arrests in the past 15 years. False cases have been filed against hundreds of thousands of people.
However, this victory is not the end of the fight, rather it is just the beginning. There is still a long way to go. Because the oppressed cannot be liberated until the power or rule of the bona fide struggling masses is established. That has been experienced many times in the past—in '69, '71, '75, and '90. Even after shaking off the main enemy sitting on the neck, the puppets of the ruling elite bourgeoisie have seized power. To prevent this, the struggling masses must struggle for the right political agenda. Currently, an "interim government" has been formed under the initiative of the military and the bureaucrats. We shall rationally insist that the hopes of the oppressed students for emancipation from fascism be fulfilled. In light of this, we would like to draw attention to a few key points below.
1. To establish a provisional government composed of representatives of all anti-fascist classes, professions, communities, and democratic political forces instead of an externally imposed government led by pro-western ex-military, civilian bureaucrats, bourgeois intellectuals, professionals, and elite bourgeoisie representatives. - Strongly oppose the imposition of martial law, so-called army-backed governments, or the imposition of a state of emergency. - Complete repeal of the constitution that allows fascism. - Promulgation of a new constitution and basic principles of a state system favourable to the democratic system. - Abolition of the district council, sub-district, and UP formed on the blueprint of fascism. - Formation of “mass committees” of farmers, workers, labourers, students, youth, middle class, religious and ethnic minorities, progressive and democratic intellectuals at all levels of society starting from village/neighborhood, and having the administrative work done by them. To form an armed “Mass Militia” under them to counter any anti-Mass threat and attack. - Creating an environment for fair elections based on the elimination of fascism, the development of mass power, and the urgent demands of the anti-fascist democratic forces, especially the workers, peasants, students, and masses.
2. Arresting and punishing all Awami godfathers who are the main pillars of Hasina-India fascists and have dominated all spheres of state and society for the past 15 years.
- Hasina's fascist allies included cabinet members, parliamentarians, powerful bureaucrats, powerful military officers, tyrannical officers of Police-RAB-DB, big businessmen, media magnates, so-called student-youth terrorists, abominable and identified elites among judges, professionals, cultural leaders, etc. Publish a list of names of all these people and arrest them. Disarm them all. - Immediate release of prisoners in "Aynaghar," a torture prison maintained by the Hasina-loyalist DGFI. Publish a white paper on this. - Immediate abolition of the murderous RAB force. - Publishing the list of public enemies involved in murder, disappearance, rape, and money laundering, and prosecuting them under the speedy trial law. -Banning the Chhatra League, Jubo League, and Hasina-Awami League as terrorist and fascist organizations. Depriving them of their political rights. - Confiscation of all properties of the above. Confiscation of all agricultural lands, wetlands, residential plots, and commercial plots occupied by Awami fascists. Free distribution of agricultural land to landless-poor farmers. Opening of reservoirs to fishermen.
3. The immediate release of all political leaders and activists of all political parties and struggling people who were tortured and imprisoned during the last 15 years of fascist rule, especially in the last July movement. The withdrawing of all cases brought against them.
4. Opening universities and educational institutions immediately. Lifting the curfew, sending the army back to the barracks. Deploying of BGB immediately to guard the borders. Having the university halls managed by student committees. De-fascistization and reformation of the administration of universities.
5. Publishing the list with the names, addresses, and ages of all those killed during the fascist regime, especially in recent movements. The state should provide compensation to the affected families. All injured should be provided with medical treatment at state’s expense. Those who have already undergone treatment at their own expense should be compensated. A white paper on the injured should be published. Those responsible should be punished severely. - Listing the general police—Ansar—BGB and army personnel, and common people killed in various anarchic activities that followed the fall of Hasina and honoring them socially.
6. All anti-national agreements and understandings with foreign countries, especially with India, by the Hasina-Awami government in the last 15 years must be cancelled. - The Rampal Power Plant destroying the Sundarbans should be stopped immediately.
- Immediate cessation of providing India with train and road corridors through Bangladesh, giving them the responsibility for the Teesta project, buying electricity from India at a high price etc. - Announcing no new agreement or compromise with India until India publicly apologises for supporting Hasina's fascism. - To be fully alert of subversive or potentially aggressive activities of Indian expansionists. Condemning their harbouring of Hasina/Awami fugitives in India and demanding their handover to Bangladesh. - Strictly opposing all imperialist meddling and conspiracy, including those of America, China, and Russia, on internal matters of the country.
7. Immediate repeal of all black laws, including the Service Act, Digital Act, and Industrial Police.
8. Accepting the legitimate demands of workers, farmers, fishermen, poor and working urbanites, tenants, students, teachers, and musicians. Implement stringent measures immediately to break up syndicates and regulate commodity pricing. Taking strict measures to stop extortion and bribery by the Hasina-Awami Fascist bureaucrats and police regarding sidewalk traders, hawkers, transport workers, markets, buying and selling land, building houses, getting government jobs, etc. Strictly controlling the change of hands of extortion and of expropriation. Taking strict measures to prevent persecution and attacks on religious and ethnic minorities.
If the interim government is not formed and run in the above way, it will be a imperialist-comprador bourgeois government based on the existing fascist structure, which will not be able to fulfil the aspirations of the struggling masses.
The above demands are not a complete program. Rather, these are only some preliminary outlines for creating an anti-fascist environment and system. Hence many more amendments may be made to it, and specifications have to be made that can be finalised based on the opinion of the serious anti-fascist fighting forces.
Our proletariat party has not only fought relentlessly against the recently expelled Hasina fascism but also outlined a genuine revolutionary program for real liberation from all imperialism, including that of America-China-Russia, Indian expansionism, and their crony elite bourgeoisie, semi-feudal exploitation-control. The party is thus conducting a continuous struggle for the real independence of the country and the empowerment of the masses of people, including the workers, peasants, and middle class, and the establishment of a truly democratic society. The ongoing anti-fascist struggle is a part of this. We are working to fight to the end and lead it to victory. The ultimate goal of the fight is to establish a society without exploitation in the country and move towards communism worldwide.
To advance that goal and to achieve a real revolution, the oppressed people must take up arms, build an army of their own, and build a rural-based people's war based on the program of agrarian revolution. All struggles should be conducted based on this aim and work. The advanced section of students and youth must be equipped with Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. They should be organized into a revolutionary party. Only then can their today's sacrifice and struggle progress towards success.
-Central Committee, Proletarian Party of Purbo Bangla.
