50 years of Naxalbari movement: Classic case of fight for right cause with wrong means
People of slightly older generation know that naxalism owes its origin in a West Bengal village called Naxalbari in Siliguri sub-division of Darjeeling district. For younger people, naxalism is more synonymous with Maoism and terrorism .
The government of India defines naxalism and Maoism as left wing extremism and is dealt with by a separate division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
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The Maoists carried out two massive attacks this year in March and April. In March, naxals killed 12 CRPF jawans at Sukma before launching a fresh attack on the paramilitary forces on April 24 in the same district killing 24 more personnel.
The biggest attack on security forces was launched in April in Dantewada of Chhattisgarh when 72 CRPF and one police jawan were killed.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
It was in , when a small group of Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders decided to break away and launch their own armed struggle against big landowners. These leaders were Charu Mazumdar, Kanu Sanyal and Jangal Santhal.
Their objective was to snatch the lands from those big zamindars and
From Chicken's Neck to Naxalbari: The Birthplace and Spread of India's Naxal Revolution
Though the area is endearingly called the "Chicken's Neck" in India, it is much more than a geographical term; it is actually a historical and political flashpoint, belying profound implications. Officially, this narrow stretch of land is referred to as the Siliguri Corridor and connects the northeastern states of India to the rest of the country.
Given that it is surrounded by four countries&#;Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and China&#;it has always been hugely important for strategic purposes. The geopolitical significance notwithstanding, the Chicken's Neck assumes a very important place in the history of Naxalism&#;the movement that changed the internal security landscape of India forever since its formation in the late s.
The Historical and Geopolitical Context of the Chicken's Neck
The Chicken's Neck is a narrow strip of land, only about 22 kilometres wide, that serves as the lifeline to India's northeastern states from its mainland. Such a thin corridor is open to blockades or invasions and hence forms an area of
Charu Majumdar -- The Father of Naxalism
Comrade Charu Majumdar's life is a story of "riches to rags".
Born in a progressive landlord family in Siliguri in , he not only dedicated his entire life to peasants' cause but also authored the historic Naxalbari uprising, the ideology behind which guides red radicals even today.
Son of an active freedom fighter, Charu Majumdar or CM rebelled against social inequalities even as a teenager. Later, impressed by "petty-bourgeois" national revolutionaries, he joined All Bengal Students Association affiliated to Anusilan group.
Dropping out of college in he joined Congress and tried to organise bidi workers. He later crossed over to CPI to work in its peasant front and soon won respect of the poor of Jalpaiguri.
Soon an arrest-warrant forced him to go underground for the first time as a Left activist. Although CPI was banned at the outbreak of World War II, he continued CPI activities among peasants and was made a member of CPI Jalpaiguri district committee in
The promotion emboldened him to organise a 'seizure of crops' campaign in Jalpaiguri during the Great Famine of , more or less successfully.
In , he joined Tebhaga movement
Charu Majumdar: A new biography imagines the CPIM(L) leader’s interrogation by the police
The interrogation team swung into action. Arun Khasnabis (name changed) fired the first volley of questions: “Tell something about your identity first.”
Smiling, Charu, in bush shirt and trousers, did not open his lips. “Well, even if you don’t tell us, we know all about you; correct me if I am wrong.” Khasnabis started pouring out his “knowledge”. A junior officer went on writing; he had to adhere to the official format.
Name with aliases: Charu Majumdar, Chandra da. Father’s name: Late Bireshwar Majumdar.
Address: Permanent: Mahananda para, Siliguri; present: Middle Road Entally, Calcutta. Age: 54 years.
Height: 5 ft 2 inches/ inches.
Build: Thin.
Nose: sharp and pointed, almost touching the lips.
Complexion: Once upon a time it was fair, now it was sun-tanned; Khasnabis directed his junior to write “wheatish”.
Date and place of arrest: The officer looked at his senior. Khasnabis started dictating, while taking a stroll in the cell. “He was arrested on Sunday 16 July early hours from the flat of Prabal Kumar Roy at A Middle Road,Calcutta (easternsideflatongroundfloor).”
As if
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