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Sunday, May 30, 2010

Whose handiwork is Gnaneshwari Express Mishap?

CPI (Maoist) and PCAPA deny any involvement

Statement from the Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF):

Yesterday's( 28 May 2010) Gnaneshwari Express and a goods train tragedy near Kharagpur in West Bengal in which 80 people were killed and 200 injured was attributed to CPI(Maoist) and Peoples Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) by the media. The media unscrupulously played false news stories blaming CPI (Maoist) and Peoples Committee for two days. Some political parties like Trinomial Congress and the ruling CPI(Marxist) also blamed these organisations without any verification. Significantly Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has declined to attribute the blame on the CPI (Maoist) and also announced that there was no evidence of any bomb blast in the incident.

The Union Home Minister has ordered an enquiry to find out any possibility of sabotage. During the day the leaders of CPI (Maoist) clarified through a long statement that they were not responsible for the train tragedy and condemned any possible sabotage work if any force involved behind the incident. They have also expressed their condolences for the families of deceased. The PCAPA also clarified that their activists are not involved in this incident. They suspected the ruling CPI(Marxist) to have been involved in the sabotage desperately trying to tilt the public opinion against the fighting forces.

Purposefully the media did not cover the statement issued by the CPI (Maoist) while playing the false stories and commentaries blaming the CPI (Maoist) for the incident. Some all India newspapers like The Hindu wrote editorials blaming the CPI (Maoist) for the incident. Many other newspapers wrote major articles decrying the CPI (Maoist) as terrorist attributing the blame on them. Now when the clarifications come from CPI (Maoist) and PCAPA, will these media houses withdraw their false stories and give the facts to the people? Will they regret for propagating the false news?

These two days of false propaganda is made with a malicious intension of maligning the CPI (Maoist) and PCAPA.

I attach here news reports covering the statement of clarification from the CPI (Maoist) and PCAPA by a section of newspapers in West Bengal. The same newspaper didn't cover it in their editions coming from all other cities.

G N Saibaba - Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF)


Statement on Train(Jnaneswari Express) accident by the Maoists

The following report was published in the Bengali Ananda Bazar Patrike dt. 29 May 2010, page 7, Kolkata edition. It bore the caption 'Denying allegations about their involvement, the Maoists demand enquiry' and written by Prasun Acharyya. The statement was issued in the name of Aakash, the Maoist WB State Committee leader.

On Friday night, the following statement was issued on behalf of the CPI(Maoist) WB State Committee. "We are in no way involved in this incident. We did not carry out any explosion in the railway line. Killing innocent people by sabotaging railway line is not our agenda. When we carry out any action, there are always some specific reasons behind. We also acknowledge responsibility for that. Whenever we commit mistakes we admit it. However, responsibility is being placed on us now for an incident in which we are in no way involved". Accusing the CPI(Marxist) of putting blame on them the Maoists said "The CPI(M) is haunted by the prospect of a landslide defeat in the coming municipal elections. Thus they have opted for a strategy of killing two birds with a single stone. On the one hand, attempts are being made to brand us as terrorists and thus isolate us from the people. On the other hand, they are seeking to prove that Mamata Banerjee is completely misfit as the railway minister". The Maoists did not directly state that the CPI(M) was involved in the incident. But what they said is: "In the coming days also such unfortunate incidents can take place in order to malign Mamata and the Maoists". The WB State Committee of the Maoists strongly condemned this act and stated: "This act deserves unequivocal condemnation. We are extending our sympathies to the members of the bereaved families. We also wish the speedy recovery of those who are injured".

Meanwhile, the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities has accused the CPI(M) of being involved in it. In reply to a query, the Maoists said: "We are not accountable for whatever one might say. We are not saying that the CPI(M) was involved in it. Let the railways make enquiry. The members of our party have made investigation after the incident. It was the removal of fish plates that led to the accident. There was no line for one metre stretch, side-clips were open. That led to derailment. Let the railways enquiry why side clips were open at the junction points of rail lines. No explosion took place at the site. Had there been any explosion, stones would have broken up and thrown out. But nothing like it happened".

The Maoists said that whenever any untoward incident takes place along the railway route, the tendency is always to accuse them for such incidents. "Three days back, eleven bogies of the New Delhi -Gwahati Rajdhani Express were derailed near Naogachhia Station in Bihar. It was not a major accident. However, initially the blame was put on us. Later on, it was found that it was the fault of the railways that led to such a mishap".

The Maoists denying responsibility for this mishap, said, "We are not involved in the Sardiha incident, so we take no responsibility of it". The Hindustan Times dt. 29 May 2010 carried only a brief statement from the Maoists: "Killing innocent civilians is not on our agenda. We have no links with this tragic incident, and we sympathise with the families of the deceased and the injured".

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Takhtupura murder: Farmer union to launch stir against police

The Bhartiya Kissan Union (Ekta) has planned to stage a protest against the SAD-BJP government on Monday at all block headquarters across the state. Irked over what they term the “insensitive attitude of the Punjab Police”, they plan to protest the alleged change of facts and circumstances in the case of alleged murder of farmers’ leader Sadhu Singh Takhtupura. In a challan submitted before a court on May 17, the police had attached a copy of a medical report in which it has been mentioned that Takhtupura died of heart attack. In the challan, Section 302 (murder) of the IPC was also removed.

It is alleged that Takhtupura was murdered on February 16 by some people with iron rods and swords in the border village of Bhindian Saida in the Amritsar district. According to reports, almost 15 people intercepted the jeep of Takhtupura who was travelling with his friends from village to village to motivate the people to assemble at Ajnala town on February 20 to protest against the atrocities of police. The ‘atrocities’ were in reference to the reported death of a youth of torture in police custody at the Lopoke police station. Senior Akali Leader Vir Singh Lopoke was among those named for the murder. A few days later the name of Lopoke was dropped from the FIR while those of others remain. Sukhdev Singh Kokri, General Secretary of BKU (Ekta) said,”The police in a blatant attempt to give a clean chit to senior Akali leader and his kin named in this murder have twisted the facts. The way this case is being presented before the court by the Amritsar police makes it clear that the SAD(B) is trying to cripple even the judicial system of the state.” Outlining the programme Kokri added that on May 25, supporters and activists of 17 farmers’ organisations and trade unions will assemble outside the office of the District Magistrate, Amritsar, demanding arrest of the real culprits. He added that the union was firm on holding a rally in Moga on June 7.
(May 23, 2010, Indian Express)

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Press Release

(ਸਪੱਸ਼ਟ ਵੇਖਣ ਲਈ ਹੇਠ ਲਿਖੇ ਵਾਰਤਕ 'ਤੇ ਕਲਿਕ ਕਰੋ)



Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Press-note

ਲੋਕ ਮੋਰਚਾ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਲੋਂ ਭਖਦੇ ਮੁਦਿਆਂ ਉੱਪਰ ਜਨਤਕ ਪ੍ਰਤੀਨਿਧਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੂਬਾਈ ਕਨਵੈਨਸ਼ਨ ਲਈ 22 ਮਈ ਨੂੰ ਹਿੰਮਤਪੁਰਾ (ਮੋਗਾ) ਪਹੁੰਚਣ ਦਾ ਸੱਦਾ

(ਸਾਫ ਵੇਖਣ ਲਈ ਹੇਠ ਲਿਖੇ ਵਾਰਤਕ 'ਤੇ ਕਲਿਕ ਕਰੋ)


Invitation for State Convention


(ਸਾਫ ਵੇਖਣ ਲਈ ਵਾਰਤਕ ਦੇ ਹੇਠ ਲਿਖੇ ਦੋ ਸਫਿਆਂ 'ਤੇ ਵਾਰੋ-ਵਾਰੀ ਕਲਿਕ ਕਰੋ)

Friday, May 14, 2010

LOK MORCHA PUNJAB DEMANDS SCRAPPING OF U.I.D. PROJECT

Lok Morcha Punjab oppose the potential tracking and profiling based techno-governance tools such as the Unique Identification number (UID) being prepared by the Government of India. The UID project is perched on an anti-people perspective and violates a number of basic rights guaranteed under Part III of the Constitution of India including Articles 14, 15, 17, 19 and 21 viz., the Rights to equality, dignity, privacy, expression and the right not to be discriminated against. It is an highly deplorable anti-people measure by our autocratic rulers.

This project is budgeted to cost Rs. 1900 Crores for the year 2010-2011. A country, in which 400 million people are living below poverty line as per official estimates, indulging in such a luxury is the height of shamelessness. There has never been any public discussion on the feasibility or desirability of the project.

Countries such as the UK, Australia and the USA have found similar measures unworkable due to serious probability of abuse and the strong opposition of the public.

Profiling of the people by pooling in biometric and retinal data pertaining to an individual is potentially dangerous in the hands of state sponsored communalists as in Gujrat, & state sponsored regional chauvinists as in Maharashtra. It is also bound to be misused by the police and security agencies for persecuting peoples’ mass movements for democratic rights, better living and protection of their lives, liberties & honour. We demand that the UID project be immediately scrapped and the massive funds earmarked for it be utilized for improving the living standards of the people.

LOK MORCHA PUNJAB CONDEMNS KALINGANAGAR FIRING


Lok Morcha Punjab strongly condemns the killing of one person in Kalinganagar and injuring thirty persons; at the proposed POSCO plant site in Jagatsinghpur, Orissa. It is highly deplorable that 25 platoons of police have been deployed to crush the people defending their land. This incident clearly shows that the Indian state is shamelessly serving the imperialist MNCs in exploiting the forests, rivers, mineral deposits & other natural resources of this country. We fully support your call that the paramilitary forces must be withdrawn; the salwa judum, as well as other similar private militias in other states, must be disbanded; Public facilities – schools, clinics, etc. - occupied by the para-military forces & the police be immediately vacated; The security forces must stop interfering with the rights of people to cultivate their fields, go to markets and engage in their livelihood activities; Illegal arrests, fake encounters and police murders must be halted immediately.
Lok Morcha Punjab fully suports the struggle of the people in defence of their land, livelihood, forests, rivers & mineral wealth.