Dr.Balagopal: A Great Champion of Human Rights!

Comrade Julius Fučík of Czechoslovakia once said, A true hero is one who fights tirelessly for the progress of human kind even at the hour of crisis. Today, revolutionary and democratic forces of India have lost one such hero, Dr. Balagopal, who passed away on Oct 10, 2009 due to severe chest pain; he was only 57. He committed himself to the cause of the human rights of the working class.

It was a period of ruthless police raj in Andhra Pradesh when the naxalites were being hunted down in cold blood. The Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Council (APCLC) was formed in 1980 by revolutionary and democratic forces to fight for human rights and to fight against this fascist oppression. It organized various struggles and exposed police terrorism all over the country. The police and the state carried out targeted offensive actions against the APCLC, considering the organization to be a part of the Naxalbari movement.

Many of the leading members of the APCLC, including well known activists like Dr. Ramanatham, were killed by the secret mercenaries of the police. It was during this period that Dr. Balagopal became the general secretary of the organization in 1983. He was also attacked several times by the police. He was even arrested and jailed under TADA. But, Comrade Balagopal fearlessly fought against the brutal atrocities of the police.

Dr. Balagopal, who had a doctorate in Mathematics, worked as a researcher in the Indian Statistical Institute and then as a professor in the Kakatiya University. Later, he quit his job and became one of the pillars of APCLC. He studied law and started practising as a lawyer much later and devoted all his time and energy for the cause of human rights. He led various fact-finding teams throughout the country against fake encounters and exposed police brutalities. He played a key role in shedding light on the fascist politics that lay behind these brutal murders.

Dr. Balagopal relentlessly argued in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on behalf of APCLC against fake encounters. And, in 1997, through his sustained and unrelenting struggle, the NHRC finally declared, in an encounter case, that the police prove its innocence and if it couldn’t, it should be prosecuted on the charges of murder under IPC Section 302.

Dr. Balagopal wrote several articles in the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) on human rights and against the fascist oppression of the state. He played a prominent role in nourishing APCLC, which set new precedents in the history of human rights in India. But, he left the organization due to the differences he developed with it on the question of violence. Then, in 1998, he started the Human Rights Forum (HRF) and continued his struggle for human rights.

In the current scenario of increased recolonization, our real tribute to Comrade Balagopal will be to carry on a steadfast battle against the fascist oppression and nurture an unwavering commitment to the rights of the working people.

Translated from: Puthiya Jananayagam, Dec’2009

Pricol Workers’ Struggle:Who are the Extremists and Terrorists?

On September 21, Roy J. George, the human resource official of Pricol automotive parts manufacturing company, died after a scuffle with the company’s striking workers. Quick to react to the incident, the managers’ association of Pricol cried hoarse and termed the worker’s agitation as violence and imminent danger. Capitalist web sites describe the struggling workers as extremists and terrorists. Ministers, talking as if they were the henchmen of the ruling classes, threaten that the workers’ struggle will be crushed. Moreover, the police has arrested the leaders of the workers’ union for allegedly unleashing violence in the region. The entire Coimbatore area is being kept under police control.

Civilian supremacy is the foremost important task!

Comrade Basanta, Politburo member of United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), gave an interview to Puthiya Jananayagam, during his recent visit to Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He delivered a lecture titled “Nepal’s New Democratic Revolution: Opportunities and Challenges” in a hall meeting organized by Indo-Nepal People’s Solidarity Forum, on 19-09-2009. The abridged version of the interview published in Puthiya Jananayagam(PUJA), Oct 2009 issue in Tamil is produced here.

Comrade Basanta

PUJA: Your party headed government has resigned citing the breach of civilian supremacy. Apart from resignation, is there any other alternative options discussed in your party? How do you justify the resignation as the only right option?

Basanta: First of all the question of civilian supremacy – I think it is a very important issue in Nepal. Because, in the history of our country, the army was under the monarchy, which was the enemy of our country. Even after monarchy was thrown, the Nepalese army has not come under the control of the elected government. The Nepalese democracy, which it says, was achieved at 1950 movement. Nepali congress got elected securing two third majority in the parliament. But later on king dissolved the parliament, sacked the government with the might of the army. If the army was under the control of the government, the army could not have been used to dissolve the parliament and sack the cabinet. For the second time it happened during the course of intensive people’s war. There was a parliamentary body in the country. There was a people elected government. But, Gyanedra, the then king, who is deposed now, took help from the army, dissolved the parliament, and also sacked the elected government. Hence, just to ensure the democratic right of the Nepali people, the first and the foremost important thing has been to establish civilian supremacy in our country. There remains the importance of the question we had been raising.

We were an elected government and we were the largest party. We took the decision not to extend tenure of the existing military chief and to deploy another army chief in that place. But there were severe pressures from the external world, mainly from India – Indian ruling classes and U.S. imperialism, and the reactionaries all over the world. They were opposing this move. They did not want to bring about civilian supremacy in Nepal. Rather they propagated against us that Maoists are trying to impose their ideology in Nepal army. In this way they tried to provoke the masses while it was not the reality. We wanted at least to establish civilian supremacy in Nepal. But when there was a massive pressure on us, either we had to submit to the dictates or we had to resign. There was pressure from all over. We guess it’s because we are fighting for the people, to establish for civilian supremacy and to establish democratic rights in the Nepalese society. Hence, we did not surrender to the external pressure. We thought, we should fight to establish this by remaining outside of the government. So we think it is a correct stand of our party to fight for the democratic rights.

Comrade Kobad Gandhi Arrest:Unlawful and against Human Rights!

Comrade Kobad Gandhi

COMMITTEE FOR THE RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS
185/3, FOURTH FLOOR, ZAKIR NAGAR, NEW DELHI-25

PRESS Note
25/09/09

(Circulated to the media persons at a press conference held at Press Club, New Delhi)

The Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP) after its Mulaakat with senior Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy in the Tihar jail would want to bring a few important facts, which are of vital significance for his life, before the democratic citizens of this country. Moreover, after the meeting of the lawyer Mr. Rajesh Tyagi on 24 /09/09 with Kobad Ghandy, the details of his arrest and mistreatment have come to light. Some of the important facts are as follows:

Hiding the exact date of arrest

Kobad Ghandy was abducted on the 17/09/09 at the Bhikaji Cama Place around 4 pm by the Intelligence Bureau. About 5-6 people who pulled up in a white sumo car pounced on him at the bus terminal near Bhikaji Cama where he was waiting for about 5-7 minutes. All the claims of the police that he was arrested on the 21/09/09 speaks for itself. He was kept under illegal detention for four days and interrogated torturing him for three days and three nights.

CPI[M],You are becoming more than what you were!

CPI[M] – Corporate Party of India [Murderers] is well known for its social-fascist atrocities from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Last June 2008, they added one more murder to their feathers by killing one of our sympathiser named Rajendran in Kaarapattu, a village near Villupuram. Peasants Liberation Front(PLF), associate organisation of PALA was able to gather support of the majority of the villagemen, of both upper and lower castes and was in forefront in exposing the anti-social activities of CPI(M) elements. The infuriated CPI(M) men decided to finish off the ideological struggle in Nandigram Fashion and they eventually went ahead. But today all those criminals are facing the court proceedings and no one dares to enter Kaarappattu.

Eelam: Protests of Revolutionary Organisations in Tamilnadu!

The media houses are bent on creating a mirage that so-called big political parties and bigwigs of tinsel world are figting for the Eelam cause in Tamilnadu. But in reality, Revolutionary organizations of Tamilnadu are the torchbearers in spreading the agony of Eelam People and exposing the treachery of the Indian State among the masses.

People’s Art and Literary Association(PALA) and its associate organisations are staging protest demonstrations all over Tamilnadu for the past one month. This movement carried forward the slogans that without smashing the Indian hegemony it’s impossible to resist the bleeding of the island and to support the self-determination right of Eelam Tamil people against the xenophobic Sinhalese state. While Karunanidhi Govt is trying to calm people with its unsuccessful relief material collection to Eelam, Revolutionary organizations stressed the need for political solidarity rather than philanthropy.

…

Eelam: Smash the Indian hegemony!

General Officer Commander-in-Chief of Southern Command Lt. Gen. B.S. Thakker visiting the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) front lines in Vavuniya

Sinhalese xenophobic State is ferociously waging military assaults on Eelam Tamil people as a final round. Srilankan Army Commander Sarath Fonseka has claimed that they will capture kilinochi from LTTE (Tigers from now). The brazenness of the Sinhalese army crop up from the support lend by the Indian State. Indian State has supplied modern radars, artillery and funds to the Srilankan Army against the Tigers. Manmohan Singh is maintaining a conspicuous silence to the widespread accusations, even after having fully exposed with the Indian military officials getting hurt in the counter attacks waged by the Tigers.

Solidarity with Nepal people’s struggle against Monarchy!

Hall Meeting
February 19, 2008
Tuesday, 4:00 PM
Padma Ram Mahal (Ram Theatre),
83, N.S.K. Road,
Kodambakkam, Chennai.

Tamil Poster of the Hall Meeting

Evil Empire – Innocent Citizens

Note:
The below article posted by Comrade Marudhiyan, Secretary, PALA and Editor, Puthiyakalacharam, in Indymedia on Sep-11-WTC-Pentagon attacks, is reproduced here for the sake of Archiving. Sadly, it’s even relevant today.

I belong to the uncivilized part of the world. I am not ashamed to conceal the fact that my first reaction on seeing the destruction of Pentagon and WTC Towers was jubilation. For that matter, it was the reaction of the overwhelming majority of our people. The mighty power on earth was slapped on it’s face!

But, when we witnessed the T.V. images of people jumping from the towers, wailing women and people running for their lives.. we really felt bad. Especially, when we realized that a sizable section of the people killed were ordinary workers, we were back to our senses.

Because you know, we are not civilized enough to watch this horror in the T.V. Screen, munching Chocolates and sipping Coke, as America did during the “Operation – Desert Storm”.

Ram Sethu – The New Avatar of Brahminic Fascism!

Last September not only saw the dashing blue of Indian cricket team but also the dazzling black smashing the saffron in Tamilnadu. We don’t wish to exaggerate the significance of the DMK counter attacks on BJP offices. But underplaying it will not do justice. Many would even think that the reprisal of any party cadres for their adored leader is not a big deal. The interesting fact is Karunanidhi, the leader of DMK, was accused of hurting ‘Hindu’ sentiments. Ironically it’s the same ‘Hindus’ who came to defend him. Can a ‘Hindu’ rally behind a leader who celebrates Ravan and not Ram? Can a ‘Hindu’ who not only cared about his leader demeaning ‘Hindu’ god Ram, would also attack a party and a ‘seer’ for condemning the ‘Anti-Hindu’ remarks? These questions puzzle the brahminised minds of North India.

If Karunanidhi wouldn’t have come up with such open remarks on Ram, no party would have asked why he didn’t so. There is no political gain for him by these remarks. After deteriorating in the opportunism of electoral politics and reaching its heights by even aligning with BJP, this is just a residue of what the pot hold once.  It’s not the trait of DMK as a whole but the trait of an old man called Karunanidhi. It’s the residue of the Anti-Brahminic spirit of Periyar that remains even without the knowledge of them.

A long tradition of Anti-brahminism with Tamil resisting Sanskrit, the resistance offered by Buddhism, Jainism and Siddhas, has inculcated an Anti-Brahmin spirit across the masses of Tamilnadu. The Brahminic gang of Tamilnadu comprehends it precisely than any one else. That’s why, Subramania Swamy, Advani and Jayalalitha form a ‘holy’ alliance now, forgetting all the bitterness evolved in Shankaracharya arrest. Jayalalitha sent a bouquet to Subramanian Swamy for the getting the stay in Supreme Court. It’s the same Subramanian Swamy who was treated with indecent, nude protests of AIADMK women’s wing once when he opposed Jayalalitha in her tenure. Tamil dailies like Dinamani displayed their sacred thread brazenly with ugly cartoons and editorials spilled with hate. BJP relies heavily on this Tamilnadu Brahminic alliance in stirring the issue which includes the new mushrooms like Vijayakanth and Sarathkumar.

The Return of notorious Ram

Due to over usage for years, ‘Ayodhya Ram’ has become a withered weapon. Now he is no more a selling brand to garner votes. In the recent years, BJP reached the heights of deterioration. A desperate BJP couldn’t find any trump card to hold against the Congress as they don’t have any policy difference with Congress in any issue. Ram Sethu is a surprise gift to them and this time they got it. Vinay Katiyar, former chief of Bajrang Dal puts it exactly.

Whenever there has been a debate on Ram, the BJP has benefited. And whenever we have forgotten Ram, Ram has forgotten us. Now that he is with us again, there is no confusion about what the direction the party has to take.

(Tehelka, Sep-29, 2007)