A Leaflet by the Sramik Sangram Committee (SSC) & Krishak Committee (KC) published on Nov 18, 2008
Stand by the Adivasi people in their fight against police terror!
Organize in Support of real democracy, to build a society without any exploitation and deprivation!
The police-administration did exactly what they were doing till now. An extensive arrest after a mysterious explosion at the end of one and half mile long cavalcade of the chief minister and billionaire proprietors on the 2nd of Nov. – arresting three school students the next day at Lalgarh with sedition charge – the next day police went to arrest an innocent alleging Maoist connection – then beating the Adivasi women who tried to resist the arrest – even the old ladies were not spared from lathi charge and suffered head injury… these all were routinely done by police-administration. That the Adivasis of certain areas will face police repression as a fall out of different Maoist activity is accepted in general. But nobody could imagine that the long accumulated wrath and anger in their heart will explode with such vengeance after the 80yr. old lady suffered a head fracture due to police lathi. Thereafter started the gherao of Lalgarh police station, digging up of roads from the next day – the movement started spreading over more and more large areas – road blocked at one after another place… Jhargram got almost isolated. Who could ever imagine such a mass awakening? Today, at the end of two weeks we must say – it is not at all so important to count the number of demands this huge mass awakening could realize – the moot point is from which level to what level that awakening could lift the consciousness of the Adivasi masses – and what lessons did this movement of Adivasis carry to the toiling masses of the whole country.
Why an incident of police repression in a village did lead to an outburst of revolt by Adivasi people encompassing a huge area? In response to these queries the Govt. and CPI (M) finds the ghost of various “conspiracies”. Sometime it is said to be conspired by Jharkhand to isolate this Adivasi belt from Bengal, yet some other time this revolt is said to be the conspiracy of Maoists. They are suppressing the simple fact that this revolt is the outburst of long accumulated grudge and anger. Since last quite a few years the innocent Adivasi people are subjected to indiscriminate oppression in the name of Maoist repression. After quietly enduring that oppression for such a long time the spontaneous outburst of unrest amongst the Adivasi people takes place now.
But, is it due to police repression only? This exploitation-oppression-atrocity on the Adivasi people is continuing for ages together. Poverty is their constant companion. A dish of rice and spinach is not even due to them every day. Time and again they have been evicted from their homeland in the name of “development”. But, they did never get the smallest benefit out of that “development”. The non-Adivasis from outside has grabbed their land. They have neither land nor job in their own ancestral homeland. They are forced to migrate with their whole family for a meagre job. Whatever paltry land they have cannot be tilled properly for want of irrigation. From contractor to Govt. everyone forces them to serve at low wages. Till now, a major portion of Adivasi people are living a horrible beastly life. That's why the poor of Amlasol die of starvation. Socially they are still treated as third class citizen. No measures are taken to develop the language and culture of Adivasis. Still now everywhere they are treated disrespectfully. The general Adivasi people are denied the dignity of being human beings in police stations or BDO offices. For ages immortal they are thrown to the lower rung of society. This spontaneous revolt by Adivasi people is not only against the police brutality and repression, in reality this revolt is a blind outburst of huge discontent accumulated due to age old exploitation-deprivation. It's a blind revolt by Adivasi people against this society that perpetrates exploitation-deprivation.
Another aspect of this movement is also very important. Those who portray this as a conspiracy of Maoists' want to obliterate the fact that masses themselves can accomplish many feats. The great mass movements are initiated due to spontaneous urge amongst the masses – not at the instigation by any party, a small sample of which was exhibited in Lalgarh. Besides, they can fight independent of any existing party or parties, even can form independent organisation. Refusing, sidetracking all the old and existing parties the Adivasis fought – even leaving aside the Jharkhand groups. They demonstrated another big event. That is, they didn't pay heed to those few Majhis, i.e. head of village, head of Adivasi society – who wanted quickly to come to a term with administration – who are either attached to some established parties or are inclined to them – they continued their fight of their own. It is of great importance. And all these reflects that the new trend of movement which is slowly building up amongst the worker-peasant, dalits or “lower-caste” people – the trend of organizing one's own movement and organization – is initiated amongst the Adivasis too. Like the other sections of society Adivasis too are learning from the past experiences – identifying the existing parties to their bones. Organizing and guiding one's own organization – that also they learnt to certain extent – whatever steps they took, at least in first two weeks, was not under the dictum of any party.
The newer elements of struggle that are brewing in society in this way, has to be protected against all adversaries like a mother protect her baby. This is because it has not yet become an accomplished fact in society. It takes time for new organization to crystallize, to strengthen, takes time for new leadership to mature. As a result, it often happens that a long and arduous struggle under the independent initiative of masses takes place, but some other established party, opposition party engulfs it. The fight that could usher in a fight for salvation, merely turned in to one for change of Govt. or for few seats in Panchayat. The toiling Adivasi brother and sisters, the worker-peasant of West Bengal has seen many such instances – it's not worth commenting.
Adivasi brother and sisters – the new seed you sown will therefore bring new fruit -- not how many of the demands could be wrested. You forced the administration to sit with the peoples' own representative – and not with any Babu or head of upper echelon of society. You could dare to defy the existing custom, practice. You made a happy beginning of the practice of independent struggle and organization – exhibited an example. You have to organize independently not only against repression but against all forms of exploitation-deprivation. Have to organize with the goal of building a new society by abolishing this exploitation-deprivation for good. A new society where there will neither be any lord above head nor any slave below. The change of society is only possible through united struggle of worker-peasant along with all the toiling masses. The action of few armed Maoist members, divorced from the people, is not the road to that struggle. So please make contact with the new tremors, new trend of movement and organization that is being produced within different other toiling sections of society.
Workers, agricultural labourers and the poor people of villages -- those who are getting the news of the new revolt by the Adivasis from afar – getting much inspired by that news – stand by the side of this movement. As it happens that the new struggle, new organization once formed, in the last analysis, are of no use to toiling masses unless they can keep hold on them. Similarly if the hold of toiling masses over the whole country is not established the problems of poor toilers won't be solved. The problems of all the poor-toiling masses can be solved through the construction of new society. So organize yourselves with that goal – bring forward those who are trailing behind. Stand by the side of this movement of Adivasis, campaign in their favor in villages, factory gates, and worker residences.Sramik Sangram Committee & Krishak Committee