Crackdown on Struggles of the Rural Poor in Punjab

Soon after the Lok Sabha elections, the Akali-BJP Government of Punjab has unleashed an all-out offensive on the rural poor in Punjab, and on the CPI(ML) which was leading their struggles. Since 21 May, over 1300 agricultural labourers and labour leaders, of Mansa, Moga, Sangrur and Bathinda districts, including 511 women and 42 children, were confined in Punjab’s jails. As we go to press, virtually all activists and leaders of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha and the CPI(ML) in the state – nearly 40 – remain in jail. In spite of the fact that many of them got bail, the government contrived to keep them in jail by naming them in ‘open FIRs’ which they had earlier filed against unnamed persons. Jasbir Kaur Nat, a National Council Member of the AIPWA, was among those jailed.

The arrests have happened in the course of a struggle for homestead plots and NREGA job cards which the SAD-BJP State Government had promised but failed to deliver. The SAD-BJP Government launched this offensive immediately following the Lok Sabha elections, where the results reflected the disenchantment of the rural poor with the government.

All though the bulk of those arrested were eventually released – after up to a month in jail – a state of undeclared and selective ‘emergency’ continues to be imposed on the CPI(ML) and its mass organisations. Even the most peaceful protests and ordinary political activities is facing a crackdown.

74 Cops killed in Maoist attacks last Year

BHUBANESWAR: As many as 74 security personnel, including 36 from the Andhra Pradesh Police, and 22 persons died in Naxalite attacks in the State last year. According to the white paper circulated by the Home Department in the Assembly today, 56 incidents of Naxalite violence took place in the State during the period.The incidents include the attack on the police armoury and training school at Nayagarh, ambush of Greyhound team in the Balimela reservoir and a landmine blast at MV 126 village in Malkangiri district.

The white paper maintained that police also scored some major victories over the Naxals despite adverse situations.The success of security forces included the arrest of three state committee members of the CPI (Maoist) from Jagatsinghpur and leader of the CPI (ML-Janashakti) Anna Reddy. The activities of the Naxals could be checked to some extent in Keonjhar, Jajpur and Dhenkanal districts following the arrests.

According to the white paper, the security personnel arrested 120 Naxals last year, including some office-bearers, and recovered 785 arms and ammunition.Besides, 764 arms and ammunition which they looted from the Nayagarh armoury were also recovered. Security forces raided Gosama hill within 24 hours of the attack on Nayagarh and recovered many arms and ammunition. Five Left wing extremists also surrendered last year.

Stating that several measures were taken to make the security forces tackle the situation more effectively, the white paper maintained that Rs 15.47 crore was provided in 2008 annual plan under the security-related expenditure (SRE) scheme for Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Ganjam, Gajapati, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Mayurbhanj and Sambalpur districts to counter Naxal activities.However, the number of cognisable offences showed a marginal increase during the year compared to 2007.

The number increased to 67,918 in 2008 from 67,034 in the previous year. Major crimes including rape, murder and dacoity went up. The number of rape cases registered with the police went up to 1,113 from 938. Similarly, 1,250 murder cases were recorded compared to 1,210 in 2007. Dacoities also increased to 372 during the year.

There were 561 deaths from dowry torture during the year.The white paper also mentioned the communal riots in the State triggered by the murder of VHP leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati on August 23, 2008. As many as 40 persons were killed and 137 were injured in the riots.

Express Buzz

U.S. Involvement in Nepal Army Integration?

This article was published on eKantipur.

US Congress gets tough on aid to Nepal Army
POST INVESTIGATION TEAM
KATHMANDU, July 21 – The US Congress has imposed conditions on the military assistance it provides to Nepal.

These conditions, made in the S.1434 bill, approved by the US Senate Committee on Appropriations on July 9, states that American military aid to Nepal will be contingent on Nepal Army’s (NA’s) cooperation with civilian judicial authorities into investigations of human rights violations, the progress made by the NA in redefining its mission, undergoing reform to strengthen civilian control and facilitation of the integration of Maoist combatants into the NA.

The S.1434 bill lists planned expenditures for the US Department of State, foreign operations and related programmes for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2010. The bill says that all funding provided to Nepal under the heading “Foreign Military Financing Programme” will be provided if the US Secretary of State certifies to the Committee on Appropriations that the Nepali armed forces are cooperating fully with investigations and prosecutions by civilian judicial authorities of violations of internationally recognised human rights. The bill also requires the armed forces to be working constructively to redefine its mission, implement reforms including establishment of a civilian ministry of defence to su-pport budget transparency and accountability, and facilitate the assimilation of former rebel combatants into the forces consistent with the goals of reconciliation, peace and stability.

India, don’t supply weapons to the Nepal Army!

Dahal warns of new round of confrontation if India resumes weapons supply

Unified CPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has reportedly warned Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal that the government’s plan to import weapons from India will derail the fragile peace process.

According to reports, the Maoist Chairman called PM Nepal Wednesday morning and expressed serious objection of his party to Defense Minister Bidhya Bhandari’s request to India to resume weapons supply to Nepal.

Dahal also said that import of any weapons while the peace process is still on is against the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) and will completely jeopardize the peace process, leading to resumption of violence and more bloodshed in the country.

India stopped supplying lethal weapons to Nepal following the royal takeover in February 2005, but continued to provide non-lethal military hardware.

On Tuesday, Defense Minister Bhandari met her Indian counterpart A.K Antony and Foreign Minister S.M Krishna in New Delhi and asked for resumption of military assistance to Nepal. She later told the media that India was positive on resuming the stalled military assistance and that details of the support would be finalised by a meeting of a bi-national committee.

Get ready for a long and bitter battle, Maoists tell their cadres

With the Centre and states working on a strategy to crack down on Maoists, the CPI (Maoist) politburo has asked its armed cadres to prepare for a “long-drawn and bitter” fight against “the marauders and mercenaries sent by the Sonia-Manmohan-Chidambaram combine”.

In a 14-page resolution dated June 12 — a copy of which is with The Indian Express ( Click here for the CPI Maoist Document, Post Election Situation- Our tasks ) — the Maoist leadership has instructed its guerrilla army to counter the “enemy” plan to descend on Maad (Abujmaad in Chhattisgarh) in huge numbers by “aggravating the situation by expanding the guerrilla war… intensifying mass resistance… to disperse the enemy over a sufficiently large area and stepping up tactical counter-offensives and taking it up in new areas… to divert a section of the enemy from attacking our guerrilla bases and organs of political power.”

Behind the plan is the Maoist belief that “in the immediate context, it is quite difficult for the Centre to send the forces required by each state to control our movement.”

The Maoist resolution, while expressing solidarity with the Palestinian Hamas, jihadi forces in Pakistan and Hezbollah in Lebanon who are “showing enormous courage against imperialists”, notes that the “killing of Prabhakaran and setback to LTTE” will have a “negative effect on the revolutionary movement in India and the world at large.”

It describes the global economic meltdown as an “excellent condition for advancing people’s struggles and revolutions everywhere… let’s utilise the excellent situation arising out of the ever-deepening crisis and overcome negative factors like the setback in Sri Lanka, lull in Nepal and massive offensive on Islamic jihadi forces in Pakistan.”