Mirzapur Police Targets CPI(ML) CC Meeting
The CPI(ML) Central Committee held its last meeting at Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, on 1-3 August 2010. Following the meeting, the Mirzapur police has made a deliberate attempt to intimidate the local party leaders in the name of an 'anti-Naxal' offensive.
On 6 August, a police official hand-delivered a letter addressed to Mohammad Salim, the National President of the Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA) and a senior leader of the party in Mirzapur. The letter is signed 'In-Charge, Naxal Cell, Mirzapur', but there is no name accompanying the signature. The letter states that "information was obtained" that a CPI(ML) programme was organised at Mirzapur, in which office-bearers and activists from the "Naxal-affected states" of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, as well as 'Naxal-affected' districts of UP participated. The letter adds, "Mirzapur is an are extremely sensitive and Naxal-affected" district where there are "continuous reports of movement of Naxalites."
The letter goes on to say, "We have come to know that you have organised a Conference and cadre meeting in this Naxal-affected area, in which suspicious people took part. Being an Indian citizen and a senior office-bearer of CPI(ML), it was your topmost duty... to obtain permission from the district administration for such a meeting. You are already aware that Section 144 is in place all over Mirzapur, and no conference or programme can be held without permission in an unconstitutional way." In the manner of a show-cause notice, the letter then asks Comrade Salim why action should not be initiated against him and participants in the meeting for "100% violation of Section 144 CrPC," and warned that if no answer was received by 7 August, action would be initiated against him for which he would be solely responsible.
The Mirzapur party has responded to the 'letter' via the District Collector, demanding to know who the 'In-charge, Naxal Cell' is who has signed it.
The CPI(ML) has condemned in the strongest terms this attempt to brand its Central Committee as a haven for 'suspicious' elements. Rather, it is the behaviour of the UP police that is suspicious and shady. Well aware of the antecedents of the CPI(ML) and its leadership (including the fact that it is a party registered with the Election Commission of India, and CCMs who attended the meeting included several former elected people's representatives and leaders of recognised Trade Union, Agricultural Labour and Peasants' organisations with lakhs of mass membership), the UP police deliberately chose to target the party and its highest leadership.
It may be recalled that following the CPI(ML) State Committee meeting in Gorakhpur (February 12-14 2010), the UP police and intelligence officials had interrogated district-level CPI(ML) leader Rajesh Sahni for two hours, demanding to know why intelligence officials were not allowed to attend the State Committee meeting, and implying that this meant some illegal activities were being plotted in the meeting! The interrogators also asked why the party insisted on opposing the Government and Green Hunt, and warned that if the party did not change its stance on Green Hunt, it was liable to face action. Comrade Sahni was told that the police had considered arrested the entire State Committee. Subsequently, various other members of the district committee also received calls making 'enquiries' about each other and about the party functioning.
The UP police and Government are clearly taking advantage of the 'Green Hunt' climate to defame and intimidate people's movements and harass political forces that are voicing dissent.
