Release against Police Harassment on former JNUSU Council Member of SFI

SFI-AISF pamphlet on AP Public Meeting

STUDENTS’ FEDERATION OF INDIA-ALL INDIA STUDENTS’ FEDERATION

03.08.07

Friends,
The barbarity of the police firing on peaceful protestors in Mudigonda village in the Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh is, indeed, unprecedented in recent memory. The people of the state were stunned to see the live media coverage of this outrageous police action where peaceful Left Parties’ protestors led by the CPI(M) were gunned down at point blank range. Six died on the spot. Another succumbed to injuries later. 16 people were grievously injured. One person was killed as he was making a call from an STD booth. A truck driver was killed when he stopped his truck from moving ahead seeing the commotion. Clearly, the police forces came with a premeditated plan of firing to kill. In fact, not even one of them such as tear gassing, water cannons etc., were used. The police fired 80 rounds and left only when their ammunition was exhausted. Far from showing any repentance or remorse, the state administration, led by the chief minister, has embarked on an offensive not merely defending but justifying the action. In order to understand as to why the Andhra Pradesh state government has resorted to such brutal repression and continues to justify, it is necessary to briefly recapitulate the origins and character of this land struggle launched by the Left parties.

In response to the CPI(M)’s demand to have a proper assessment of the overall availability and distribution of land, the state government had constituted a land committee under the chairmanship of Shri Koneru Rangarao, a cabinet minister, in December 2004. This committee gave its report in 2006. In Andhra Pradesh, around 42 lakh acres of assigned land was being illegally occupied by the land mafias and vested interests. In an embarrassing moment for the Congress party, the chief minister himself had to return assigned lands illegally held by his family without offering any explanation as to how such lands came under his possession to begin with. In order to legalise such illegal occupation of assigned lands (the list of people in possession of such lands is a virtual who’s who of the ruling class political parties leaders and big influential businessmen), the state government issued a government order under the amended act bringing assigned lands under 54 mandals surrounding Hyderabad under its control. Rs. One lakh crore of property legitimately belonging to the poor was now being legally taken over by the vested interests. Simultaneously, large irregularities were found in the implementation of the Indiramma housing scheme. The fact remains that without the compliance of the same government departments, irregularities could not have taken place in the first place.

Seeing the intransigence of the state government, the CPI(M) launched an agitation on the protection of the assigned lands on May 2, 2007 in Warangal. The spontaneous response of the people was so overwhelming that this struggle spread throughout the state within a week. 195 mass organisations including various societies, movements etc., came under a single umbrella to carry forward this struggle to protect the assigned lands. Throughout the months of May and June, hundreds of thousands of people, braving the heat wave, came out on to the streets. These were met with brutal suppression. Over 24,000 cases have been booked (over 5,000 on women) and 3,080 had been jailed before this police firing. All prominent CPI(M) leaders have cases of land grabbing foisted on them. Given the state government’s intransigence on July 15, twenty five leaders of the struggle committee, went on a week-long hunger strike. When the state government’s intransigence continued by refusing to enter into any discussions with the leaders of the movement, the state secretaries of the CPI(M) and the CPI, went on an indefinite hunger strike outside the state assembly on July 22. Similar hunger strikes began in all the taluk headquarters all across the state. The state assembly was in session. The government, however, was not prepared to either discuss in the assembly or with the leaders on hunger strike. Instead, at midnight after the assembly adjourned on July 27, the leaders on hunger strike were arrested. This led to the eruption of mass anger and call for a successful statewide bandh on July 28 when this brutal firing took place in Mudigonda. Despite lakhs of people all across the state spontaneously coming out in this movement (in Hyderabad city alone, over 1.5 lakh people applied for house sites), the state government’s brazenness can only be understood by its deep links with the vested interests who want to misappropriate public resources on a massive scale. It is for this reason that they continue not only to justify the police action but spread malicious disinformation about CPI(M) and its leadership. It is the CPI(M) cadre’s vandalisation and attack on the police which led to the police firing is one such disinformation.

The brutal repression by the Andhra Pradesh government once again exposed the dominance of landed interests in the Congress party and bourgeois-landlord class character of the government. The struggle for land will continue as long as our demand regarding the land to the poor is not met and it will intensify in the days to come.

DOWN WITH THE UNDEMOCRATIC YSR REDDY GOVERNMENT!!
OUR STRUGGLE FOR LAND TO THE POOR LONG LIVE!!

PUBLIC MEETING:

LAND STRUGGLE IN ANDHRA PRADESH: BRUTAL REPRESSION OF THE CONGRESS GOVERNMENT

Speakers:

• Com. P Madhu ( CPI(M) MP, Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh and one of the leaders who led the hunger strike).
• Com. Suneet Chopra (Central Committee Member, CPI(M), Joint Secy. AIAWU).
• Com. Sudhakar Reddy ( MP, Lok Sabha from Andhra Pradesh and Member of the National Council, CPI).

Venue: Kaveri Mess 9:15pm 3rd August, 2007 (tonight)

Sd/- Rajiv Kumar Ranjan, Secretary, SFI-JNU.

Sd/- Fauzan, Jt.Secy, AISF-JNU.

SFI release on AP Police Firing

Eight Left Activists Killed In Police Firing In Andhra

Dated: 28.07.07

Friends,

Students’ Federation of India strongly condemns the killing of eight persons in police firing in Mudigonda, near Khammam in Andhra Pradesh. The dead included a student and a woman. The police resorted to brutal firing on people participating in a peaceful RASTA ROKO as part of the bandh to protest police repression and the refusal of the government to concede their genuine demands. The CPI(M), CPI and 195 mass organisations have been conducting a peaceful movement for house sites and land for the poor, since May 2, 2007. The struggle entered a new phase on July 22 with the indefinite hunger strike launched by leaders of the CPI(M) and CPI. Instead of discussing and settling the issues, the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh resorted to brutal attacks against the people. Hundreds of people were seriously injured in police lathicharges in different parts of the state and thousands were sent to jail. Leaders including B.V. Raghavulu, Member of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau, P Madhu, Member of the CPI(M) Central Committee and K Narayana, Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of the CPI who were on indefinite hunger strike were forcibly arrested at midnight on Friday. The genuine demands of the people for house sites and land cannot be suppressed by such brutal display of force. The SFI urges upon the government of Andhra Pradesh to immediately concede all genuine demands. The SFI also demands firm action against the police officers responsible for the firing and payment of adequate compensation to those killed.

For the last three months poor peasants, landless agricultural workers, homeless urban poor people are waging a struggle in Andhra Pradesh demanding the state government to implement the 9/77 act which guarantees land assignment to the poor. Instead of taking steps to implement this act government brought an amendment which nullifies the spirit of the Land Assignment Act, 1977 and paves way to legalise all illegal occupations by the land mafia and influential classes in the state. This act only meant for legalising the illegal occupations of assigned land, snatching away the assigned land from the hands of poor and to reallocate the same to the influential sections of the society. At the same time lakhs of people are waiting in queue for almost one decade to get their piece of land to construct their homes. Government's only refrain is that there is no such vacant land which could be given to common masses for such purpose. At the same time the committee appointed by state government under the chairmanship of Koneru Rangarao, Cabinet Minister, found huge tracts of land ( more than 60 lakh acres) available with the government right now with which state as on date. Fearing worst consequences, the government has refused to make Koneru Rangarao Committee Report public. It is not even ready to table the report on the floor of state assembly.

In this background a ground swelling movement is going on demanding the state government to implement the recommendations of Koneru Rangarao Committee. 195 grassroot organisations including NGOs cutting across political and ideological affiliations have joined hands in support of this demand. Of late major political parties in the state have also extended their solidarity. The ongoing struggle reached its peak with the Hunger fast movement where the leaders of CPI(M) and CPI sitting on fast. Thousands of hunger fast tents have already been erected in the state where laks of common people are sitting on hunger strike in support of demands. Instead of agreeing to the genuine demands of the vast sections of people, state government has sought to repress the movement. More than three thousand cases were registered against the leaders of the movement. Thousands were sent to jail with non bailable warrants. Severe lathi charge has become a daily phenomenon where thousands are bearing the brunt of police. There is a en-mass moral support to this movement including those of upper middle class who could not find land to build their homes.

The Police in Andhra Pradesh let loose terror on Thursday against the poor agitating for house sites. Thousands and thousands of poor people, including a large number of women, picketed the district collectarates on Thursday throughout the state at the call given by the CPI(M) and CPI. Police resorted to severe lathi charge and used teargas shells, water cannons, mounted police in almost all district headquarters and arrested the agitators and the leaders of CPI(M) and CPI. In the state capital Hyderabad, the police action reminded the day when three people were killed by the police bullets seven years ago, when they were agitating against the hike in power tariff by the then TDP government. Yesterday, when poor people picketed Hyderabad district collectorate, the police used all sorts of force except firing. Many people received serious blood injuries and were to be taken to Osmania general hospital for treatment. The situation was same in almost all the district headquarters. Many women received blows from the police in their abdomen. Many of them got fainted due to the lathi blows. In solidarity with the huger-fast comrades and protesting against the police atrocities people observed State Bandh today, 28th July in which the police fired on the peaceful protesters in which 8 left activists were killed. SFI appeals to the student community to unite against the police firing on poor people and left activists and come out in support of the just demands of the people of the state.

- an SFI release

SFI pamphlet of AP Police Firing

STUDENTS’ FEDERATION OF INDIA
Date: 29/07/07

Come and see the blood in the streets!
Let their sacrifices not go in vain.

They are not fallen trees, they are sprouting seeds….. the harbingers of hope.

Friends,
Students’ Federation of India strongly condemns the killing of eight persons in police firing in Mudigonda, near Khammam in Andhra Pradesh. The dead included a student and a woman. The police resorted to brutal firing on people participating in a peaceful RASTA ROKO as part of the bandh to protest police repression and the refusal of the government to concede their genuine demands. The CPI(M), CPI and 195 mass organisations have been conducting a peaceful movement for house sites and land for the poor, since May 2, 2007. The struggle entered a new phase on July 22 with the indefinite hunger strike launched by leaders of the CPI(M) and CPI. Instead of discussing and settling the issues, the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh resorted to brutal attacks against the people. Hundreds of people were seriously injured in police lathicharges in different parts of the state and thousands were sent to jail. Leaders including B.V. Raghavulu, Member of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau, P Madhu, Member of the CPI(M) Central Committee and K Narayana, Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of the CPI who were on indefinite hunger strike were forcibly arrested at midnight on Friday. The genuine demands of the people for house sites and land cannot be suppressed by such brutal display of force. The SFI demands that the government of Andhra Pradesh immediately concede to all the genuine demands. The SFI also demands firm action against the police officers responsible for the firing and payment of adequate compensation to those killed.

JOIN PROTEST DEMONSTRATION

AGAINST THE KILLER CONGRESS GOVERNMENT

ANDHRA BHAWAN 30/07/07(Tomorrow)

ASSEMBLE AT GANGA DHABA AT 9:30 AM

Sd/- Rajiv Kumar Ranjan, Secretary, SFI-JNU.

Sd/- Roshan Kishore, President, SFI-JNU.