PCPA: A Maoist affiliate emerges as a political force

Thousands of Indian activists of People' Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA) gather in-lalgarh on august-9-2010

Lalgarh (West Bengal): Until a few months ago, Naru Singh and Debnath Singh of Chandabila village were part of the local folklore in Maoist-overrun Lalgarh, in the interiors of West Bengal’s West Midnapore district.

Active supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, the Singh brothers were known in this economically backward area, where many people survive on starch and leaves, for their wealth. They controlled at least 50 acres of land and a three-acre mango orchard; what they called home was a mansion.

Click here To view a slideshow of some of the initiatives by the PCPA to boost agricultural productivity and create infrastructure

But now they have lost everything. They have been driven from home, their properties seized and their mansion vandalized by the Maoist-backed People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA)—a less than two years old tribal political outfit founded to protest police incursions in the villages of Lalgarh following an attack on the convoy of West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

CPIM terror continues in Lalgarh

Enayetpur party office

MIDNAPORE/PURULIA: Armed CPM cadres allegedly continued their operation against the Maoists and members of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities in some parts of West Midnapore. On Thursday, around 200 armed CPM cadres reportedly entered several villages near Belia, Chandra, Malbandhi and Pukurmuri in Midnapore Sadar block and drove out the PCPA supporters. Interestingly, there was little resistance from the Maoists on Thursday.

On Wednesday night, however, the red guerrillas resisted the CPM cadres near Dherua and stopped their advance towards Lalgarh. The CPM force, which had started their march from Enayetpur party office, is now camping at a primary school in Malbandhi.

PCPA secretaryManoj Mahato alleged, “Goons led by CPM leaders Anuj Pandey and Satyen Maity ransacked houses and set villagers’ homes on fire.” Mahato claimed that CPM cadres set fire on houses of Bijay Mandi, Bidhan Mandi and Bishu Mandi at Pukurmuri village.

On Thursday, police admitted that they have heard about some arson in some villages. They, however, did not try to enter those villages.

Purulia police meanwhile rounded up five Maoist squad members including an area commanderNandakumar alias Anandkumar. The four others have been identified as Bhabataran Mahato, Gobardhan Mura, Umacharan Mura and Mansaram Mandi. Police claimed that all five are the members of a Maoist squad active in the Ayodhya Hills.

Land reforms, Maoist style

MIDNAPORE: It was land distribution under Operation Barga that brought CPM to power in 1977. Thirty-three years later, the Maoists in Jangalmahal are treading a similar route to consolidate their support base in 200 villages from Goaltore to Midnapore town. The 60-kilometre stretch forms the ” Maoist core zone”, where men most wanted by the police like Manoj Mahato, Asit Mahato and Gopal Pratihar have a free run.

But this new avatar of Operation Barga is different from the one implemented by the CPM. Maoists have set their own parameters for land reform here. Family income and connections with the ruling party get maximum weightage in this reform process.

The jotedars close to mainstream political parties CPM and Jharkhand Party are the targets, and the beneficiaries are the landless farmers. The Maoists have begun this process in two villages Chandabila and Malkuri under the Midnapore Sadar block, six kilometres from Midnapore town.

First, they drove out Toton Singh and Naru Singh jotedars of Malkuri village, who have 150 bighas of land and own a huge ancestral house. Like CPM zonal secretary Anuj Pandey’s house, this building too was pulled down by Maoist-led labourers of around a month and a half ago. Then the guerrillas took possession of the entire land and distributed it among 53 local landless labourers. Naru Singh’s son Ajit, who is known for his proximity to CPM minister Sushanta Ghosh, could do little to prevent it.