On 16 February, a Seminar was held on the topic ‘Comrade Sufiyan’s Martyrdom and the Question of Resistance to the Criminal System’. In the light of Comrade Sufiyan’s martyrdom, the issues of the struggle for democracy and secularism were discussed. The main speaker was CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya. Along with CPI(ML) leaders (PB member Ramji Rai, AIALA President Rameshwar Prasad, and others), Ara’s democratic intelligentsia also participated. Advocate Tunna Babu, Professor Balraj Thakur, trader Nityanand Varma and many others also addressed the Seminar, and resolved to carry forward the struggle to bring Comrade Sufiyan’s killers to justice.
On 17 February, a cultural event was organized by Jan Sanskriti Manch in Ara to remember Comrade Ramakant Dwivedi ‘Ramta’. Ramji Rai, Alakh Narayan Chaudhary, Balbhadra, Dashrath Singh and Sudhir Suman recited many of Ramtaji’s poems on this occasion. Ramtaji’s comrade-in-arms during the freedom struggle Ramasan Singh and CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya offered garlands to the photo of the departed revolutionary poet. Eminent Bhojpuri scholar Prof. Gadadhar Singh, Ramnihal Gunjan, Dr. Ravindra Nath Rai, CPI(ML) CC member KD Yadav addressed the meet while Comrade Dipankar spoke as the chief guest.
