CONDEMN THE MURDER OF COM.KENDRUKA ARJUN BY MAOISTS

CONDEMN THE MURDER OF COM. KENDRUKA ARJUN

THE LEADER OF ADIVASI MOVEMENT IN ANDHRA ORISSA BORDER AREA AND THE SECRETARY, CHASI MULIYA ADIVASI SANGH, KORAPUT DISTRICT BY THE MAOISTS!

Friends,

            The murder squad of the CPI (Maoist) Party has shot dead in a ghastly manner Com. Kendruka Arjun (42 Years), the leader of Adivasi peoples movement in Koraput – Bandugaon area in Andhra – Orissa border, Koraput District Secretary of Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) and a comrade who had come up from a poorest Adivasi family as a leader of oppressed peoples movement and had been working among the people.

            On August, 9, 2010 in the afternoon, the Maoists have waylaid Com.Arjun on his way to Kathulapeta from Keshubhadra when he was going to the hospital by bicycle together with his wife.  The Maoists used force and asked him to come aside for a talk.  Com. Arjun understood that they were Maoists.  He told them fearlessly that he has nothing to talk to them there and the things can be discussed, if there are any, right in the presence of people.  With this, the Maoists have hit Com. Arjun on his legs to which he fell down.  They pushed Com. Arjun’s wife aside when she attempted to rescue him from the attack of Maoists and the three Maoists have shot Com. Arjun dead in a ghastly manner.

WAS IT A CRIME FOR COM. ARJUN   TO WORK AS AN ACTIVIST OF PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT?

            For the last 15 years, Com. Arjun had been working integrating himself with the Adivasi people under the leadership of CMAS.  He was a comrade who stood in the forefront in the efforts to organize the Adivasi and non-Adivasi poor in the Bandugaon area of Koraput district and in mobilizing them against the liquor traders, the atrocities of forest officials and the exploitation of pettandars.

            Com. Arjun played a militant role in the people’s movement against the liquor producing owners, sundis and shahukars in Koraput area together with the Bankini, Neelavadi and other villages.

            It was Com. Arjun who extended the CMAS and the Adivasi peoples movement from Koraput area to Narayanapatna up to 2006.  In 2006 June, the police had created an atmosphere of terror by arresting the leadership and imposing the sec 144 in Narayanapatna – Podipodar area in an attempt to prevent the occupation of lands under the leadership of CMAS.  The Adivasi people had seized their own crops even in the midst of this repressive atmosphere under the leadership of Sangh led by Com. Arjun.

            On Nov 17, 2008, 400 Adivasi armed with traditional weapons had gheraoed the Bandugaon police outpost under the leadership of Com. Arjun in protest against the police attack on the Adivasi in Sorupalli market and with a view to get their Adivasi brothers released who were in police custody.  They expressed their serious anger against the repeated harassments and atrocities carried on by the police.  Cases were foisted against the activists of the Sangh including Com. Arjun on the alleged charge of attack on the police outpost.  But Com. Arjun was not frightened by it.  He carried on the activities of Sangh by remaining himself among the people for 5 months as required by the needs of the movement.

            As the leader of the CMAS, Com. Arjun played an active role in the movement to re-occupy the lands of Adivasi beginning with July, 2009, which were illegally grabbed by the STM Company and also in the struggle to seize the lands under the occupation of the non-Adivasi pettandars.

            Com. Arjun had grown into a leader from the oppressed Adivasi people in the course of facing the attacks from the pettandars, goondas and illegal arrests and repression from the police.  All along, he had been performing the responsibilities as the District Committee Secretary and the state committee member of the CMAS.

            Com. Arjun had contested in the General Elections held in 2009 as a candidate for Lakshmipur Assembly constituency and had extensively propagated the politics of people’s movement in Koraput and Narayanapatna area.

            The landlords, pettandars sundis, shahukars and the owners of various companies who were freely enjoying the lands of the Adivasi could not tolerate the Adivasi people’s movement taking roots and expanding under the leadership of Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh.  They are furious at the Sangh and are resorting to attacks and atrocities against it.  On the other side, the state and the police machinery are resorting to foisting of cases, arrests and harassments in various forms.

            On the other side the Maoists too are unable to tolerate the concrete and consistent efforts by the leadership of CMAS to develop the people’s movement in Koraput area.  On various occasions, they indulged in such acts as threatening through posters and statements to kill the leaders and cadres of the Sang if they do not abandon the politics of mass movement.

            The Sangh had been condemning this kind of undemocratic and atrocious acts of the Maoists whenever they had resorted to such acts.  It had been taking these things to the notice of the intellectuals and democrats and appealing to them to prevent the undesirable acts which would inflame the clashes between the people’s movements. However, brushing aside these appeals and much to the merriment of the landlords and pettandars, the Maoists had committed this act of murder. 

Com. Arjun belongs to the poorest Jathapu tribe who speak the “Kui” language.  He lost one of his sons because he could not provide him proper food and medicines.  His wife is an Adivasi woman who ekes her life as a daily laborer.  He had been working as a whole time worker in the midst of these difficult conditions of life.  The Maoists had indulged in this ghastly act of killing an activist and leader of people’s movement who had come up from a poorest Adivasi background in the last 15 years.  They have murder comrade Com. Arjun when he was alone, unarmed, pushing aside his wife who tried to prevent the attack and shot com. Arjun dead by firing the gun at a point-blank range.  These acts show that the Maoists had degenerated to such a state where they resort to individual terrorist actions in the name of peoples movement and seek to make the people live under the illusion that the creation of terror and anarchy is revolution.  It proves that they have resorted to these cowardly acts only because the consistent and organized people’s movement which is developing under the leadership of Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh will expose the bankruptcy of their terrorist actions.

            The people would face and repulse these ghastly deeds carried on in the name of Maoists too in the same way as they are facing the attacks of the landlords and pettandars and police repression.  Anyone who has respect for the people, convictions in the people’s movement cannot resort to this kind of atrocious acts.  We, therefore, appeal to the people as a whole, the democrats and intellectuals in particular to denounce this ghastly act of the Maoists.   We appeal to them to seriously expose the Maoist politics of murdering the activists and leaders of people’s movement by unilaterally affixing labels to them.

With Revolutionary Greetings,

ALL INDIA KHET MAZDOOR KISAN SABHA

(AIKMKS)

09.08.2010

Vijayawada

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Publishers: Subodh Mitra, Convener, S.Jhansi, Co-convener

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SOLVE IMMEDIATELY THE LAND PROBLEMS OF ADIVASIS IN KORAPUT

SOLVE IMMEDIATELY THE LAND PROBLEM OF

ADIVASIS IN KORAPUT DISTRICT!

STOP REPRESSION AGAINST THE STRUGGLE OF

ADIVASIS IN ANDHRA – ORISSA BORDER AREA!!

Friends,

            Today, the problem of Koraput district is a point of debate among all.  The Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh is carrying on the struggle for the rights over the land, water and forest in this area.  The Adivasi are facing insults and repression in the course of struggle for their rights.  On one side, the state and on the other side the shahukars, contractors and sundis together are building a “counter movement” in a most heinous manner by forming peace committees to suppress the Adivasi movement.  It is already two months that the liquor traders and the sundis, who had usurped the lands of Adivasi, committed atrocious act on Com. Kirma and burnt down the Jadaba village.  But the police arrested none.  No compensation was given to the villagers whose houses were burnt down.  When the Adivasi of the same village had gone to Kommuganda to bring their monthly ration rice, not only they were not given the rice, but the Panchayat Secretary Ramachandra had chased them away while beating.  All the criminals together with the Shahukars, liquor traders, and BJD contractors colluded to form the “peace committee”.  This “peace committee” had resorted to physical attacks against the Adivasi of Sangh in Kumbariput area, forced them to leave the villages and is imposing thousands of rupees as fine on them and destroying their properties.  The “peace committee” is doing all this right in the presence of the District authorities.

            Last month, a boy of 12 years old was murdered by some criminals in the midnight in a village called Pottesi in Bandugaon block.  This incident had saddened every one.  But the peace committee is conspiring to throw the blame for it on the Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh (CMAS).  As part of this, the Koraput and Andhra Police had arrested an Adivasi Youth Kithanna who went to Parvathipruam fair to sell his goats.  They took him to Koraput and tortured him.  Instead of arresting the criminals who had resorted to violence and atrocities against the Adivasi; the police are conspiring to foist false cases against the Adivasi who are the members of CMAS.

            Katragadda is a village at one end of Bandugaon block and adjoining the Narayanapatna block.  Singanna gang is pressurizing the people of this village to join their Sangh.  It is already one month that the people of this village were beaten and forced to leave the village.  The CMAS has given them the self confidence and sent them back to their village to protect their own crops.  Singanna gang has once again came to this village and is pressurizing the people to pay Rs.50, 000/- as a fine.  The Adivasi in Koraput are suffering with many other problems together with this problem.

            Last year, the Adivasi had suffered a total loss of crops because of the drought.  All the schemes like food for work, minimum working days have totally failed.  Hundreds of people are leaving the villages and are migrating to distant places in search of work.  It is usual for the people to die every day because of malaria and cholera.  The CMAS is organizing the people into struggles for several years even in the midst of these horrible conditions.  Yet, the rulers are not implementing the 2/56 Act in this area. Seeing the ever growing discontentment and protest among the people the central and state rulers are conspiring to suppress the movement in this area by declaring as a Disturbed Area.  On the other side, they are conducting the counter movements in the name of shanti committees and Nagarik Suraksha Committee with a view to crush the struggling people.  They are hatching this conspiracy only to divide the people and pave the way to give away the natural wealth minerals in the Devmali Mountains to the foreign Multi National Companies.

            There is every need today for the Adivasi, dalits and non-Adivasi poor to unite against the exploitation, oppression and suppression and carry on the struggle against the policies of exploiting ruling classes.  But, in this situation, the “New Democracy” party which has neither the people’s movement nor organization in this district is working day in and day out to discredit the movement led by the CMAS and its leaders.  The ND party has adopted the decision in its party conference to the effect that it is not correct to form rival organizations and carry on activities in a specific area where other revolutionary groups are building the movement.  But they kept this aside and are carrying on the slander campaign against our Sangh in Bandugaon area of Koraput district which will be useful to the enemy classes (they have one small village and street in this area).  This slander campaign had shown no influence whatsoever on the people of this area as the people know the facts.  This slander campaign is only carried on to confuse the people and the revolutionary sympathizers outside the area.  There are many agency areas in Orissa where there are no revolutionary parties and revolutionary organizations.  It would be very much useful if they use their energies and time to build the movement there.  We appeal to them to stop the activities aimed at attacking and disrupting the co-revolutionary organization and the movement.

            The statements by the CPI (Maoists) that they would kill comrades Paidamma, Arjun, the leaders of our Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh, Com. D.Varma, the secretary, Rythu Cooli Sangh, Vizianagaram District and its Joint Secretary Com. Monangi Bhaskara Rao would only gladden the landlords and pettandars in this area.  Our Varma, whom they want to kill, is working as the District Secretary of Rythu Cooli Sang am for the last 15 years.  He had been in the student’s organization and revolutionary politics and is working selflessly dedicating himself to the Adivasi movement.  In this course, he encountered the attacks from the pettandars and went to Jail several times in false cases foisted against him.  It is known to all that Com. Varma was the first accused together with Com. Bhaskara Rao and some others in the false case foisted by the Andhra Police for a drought raid carried by the Maoists on June, 17, 2009 in Panasabhadra village of Makkuva mandal in Vizianagaram District.  Com. Bhaskara Rao was imprisoned in the Central Jail for a month in this case.  Com. Paidamma has earned the anger and fury of pettandars and police because she led the movement against the liquor trade.  She was imprisoned twice for two months on the plea that she was co-operating with the Maoists.  Even today, she is pulling on her life by toiling on the land.  Similarly, Com. Kendruka Arjun is a poorest Adivasi.  For the last 10 years, he is working for the Adivasi leaving his home.  All the people in this area know that he lost his son because of his poverty and inability to buy proper medicines for him when he was sick.  We are of the view that it is a politically immature act for the CCMs of CPI (Maoist) to declare that they would kill the comrades of this kind.

            We appeal to the people, the democrats, revolutionary sympathizers and revolutionary mass organizations to denounce these policies of murder.  We also appeal to extend all forms of help and co-operation to the movement led by the Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh.

CHASI MULIYA ADIVASI SANGH                                    RYTHU COOLI SANGHAM (AP)

KORAPUT, RAYAGADA DISTRICTS        VIZIANAGARAM, SRIKAKULAM DISTRICTS

02.11.2009

BANDUGAON

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Publishers: Com. SRIKANTH MOHANTHY, State Convener, CHASI MULIYA ADIVASI SANGH, Orissa

                    Com. TANDRA ARUNA, Srikakulam District Secretary, Rythu Cooli Sang am (AP)

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READ                         AAGUAN (ORIYA)

                                    COMMUNIST REVOLUTIONARIES BI-MONTHLY

APPEAL TO DEMOCRATS AND INTELLECTUALS.

ALL INDIA KHET MAZDOOR KISAN SABHA (AIKMKS)

CONVENOR:-                                                                                  CO-CONVENOR:-

 SUBODH MITRA                                                  S.JHANSI

AN APPEAL TO DEMOCRATS AND INTELLECTUALS

Friends,

            With all anguish we bring to your notice on undesirable development in Koraput district of Orissa State.

            The CPI (Maoist) has murdered Com. Kendruka Arjun, the leader of Adivasi people’s movement in Koraput district.  Here are some facts:

1. On Aug, 9, 2010, at about 2.00 PM Com. Arjun was taking his sick wife to hospital by a bicycle.  A murder squad of CPI (Maoist) way laid him and sought to take him forcibly to an isolated place on the plea to talk to him.  Com. Arjun has suspected their intentions.  He coolly told them that the talk can be had later in the presence of people.  But they did not listen to him.  They hit him down and pushed his ailing wife who came to his rescue.  Then, the murder squad has pulled out their weapons, bumped the bullets in Com. Arjun’s body from a point blank range.  This was clearly a premeditated and cold blooded murder committed by the Maoists against the leader of Adivasi people’s movement.

2.         Com. Arjun was the leader of Adivasi people’s movement in Andhra – Orissa border area and the Secretary of Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh, Koraput district.  Through his one and half decade long dedicated and hard work he earned the affection of people and emerged as their popular leader.  He encountered various types of attacks from the landlords, pettandars and state repression.  He staunchly believed that the people can emancipate themselves from the present wretched conditions of life through their own organized and united struggle.  He refused to be attracted by the glamour’s of the line of individual terrorism which can only undermine and negate the people’s movement.

            For quite a long time the Maoists are intolerant towards the Adivasi movement which was developing in an organized and consistent manner in Koraput district under the leadership of Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh because this would expose their line of individual terrorism.  They had been trying to malign, pressurize and threaten the leaders of CMAS through posters and statements.  Com.Arjun was one of these leaders who was threatened to be killed by the Maoists.  However, Com. Arjun has refused to be cowed down by these threats.  He continued to lead the CMAS and the peoples movement.

            We brought this dangerous attitude and attempts of the Maoists through appeals, statements and letters to the notice of democrats and intellectuals.  We requested them to condemn the same and intervene in the situation in the best interests of people’s movement against the exploiting classes and their state.

3.         We believe that we have every right to pursue a line of relying on the conscious, organized and united struggle of people to realize a fundamental change and improvement in their lives.  We believe that it is the people, people alone who are the real builders of their life.  We feel it our responsibility to remain with the people and guide the people in their struggle.  We believe that the line of individual terrorism will only weaken and disrupt the movement.  We consider the politics and methods of pressure, treats and murder to impose or terrorist line on us or for that matter on any one is totally undemocratic, even fascist and go against the interests of people and their movement.  We, therefore, reject the politics of threats and murder put into practice by the Maoists through their ghastly murder of Com. Kendruka Arjun.  The Maoists had exposed their anti-people character by choosing a poor Adivasi and a popular leader dedicated to the cause of oppressed Adivasi people for their murderous attack.  Here they have thrown to winds all revolutionary ethics.  Their line and methods would only create hurdles and difficulties in the way of democratic rights movement.

            Today, the rulers in the centre and states are intensifying the repression in every form to nip the growing peoples discontentment and struggles in the bud in an attempt to deprive the peoples from the right over lands, water, forest, means of livelihood and other natural resources and open up flood gates for their all out loot and control by the imperialists and the Indian Corporate houses and thus spell disaster for our people and the country.  This situation underline the need of an united, organized and consistent peoples movement against the policies of ruling classes and the Government.  The acts like threatening and murdering the leaders of people’s movement would only gladden the exploiting classes.  We, therefore, demand to shun such methods and appeal to those democratic and intellectual who are taking a complacent attitude towards these methods to rethink. 

            We appeal to all the people, the democratic, civil liberties and human rights organizations, intellectuals and all those who are concerned about the interests of people and people’s movements to condemn the ghastly murder of Com. Arjun by the Maoists and oppose their politics and methods of threats and murder.  We appeal to intervene and see that the interests of people’s movement as a whole are protected and advanced.

            Here we are enclosing some material that gives you more information.

                                                                                                   With Revolutionary Greetings,

CONVENOR                                                                                                CONVENOR

CHASI MULIYA SANGH, ORISSA         ALL INDIA KHET MAZDOOR KISAN SABHA (AIKMKS)