OPPOSE ARREST & TORTURE OF COM. HARBHINDER JALAL, DEMAND AN END TO ALL REPRESSIVE MEASURES

COM. HARBHINDER JALAL, BEING PRODUCED BY POLICE IN KHARAR COURT

Harbhinder Singh Jalal, who has been editing a revolutionary Punjabi magazine “CHAMKDA LAL TARA” (Shining Red Star), was arrested by Kharar Police while he was traveling in a bus near Gharuan village. The police alleged him to be the head of Punjab unit of CPI Maoist. A 32 bore pistol and some live cartridges were shown to have been recovered from him.

In police custody Harbhinder was severely tortured and subjected to third degree methods of interrogation. A case under S.10,13,18 & 20 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act; S. 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act and Section 121, 419, 420, 471 of the IPC has been slapped against him. He was denied the legal assistance of his chosen lawyers. Lok Morcha Punjab, along with his family approached S/Sh. R.S. Bains and Harinder Pal Singh Ishar, Chandigarh based Human Rights lawyers, who moved an application for permission to meet Com Harbhinder in police custody and for his medical examination. The State vigorously opposed this application on the fictitious ground of threat to national security. However the court allowed the advocates to meet him daily in the Police Station between 7 PM to 8 PM and also to get him medically examined every 48 hours from the Civil Hospital.

On 9.5.2011, when Com Harbhinder was produced in court for further remand, dozens of his friends and well-wishers from all over Punjab, came to see him, but the police did not allow them to meet him. His further police remand was sought on the plea that he was to be taken to Ranchi to affect certain recoveries. Subsequently this pretext proved to be false as he was not taken to Ranchi. Perhaps the court’s order permitting his lawyers to meet him everyday in the extended period of remand, acted as a dampener for the police. On 14.5.2011, he was remanded to judicial custody and is now lodged in Ropar Jail.

On 6.5.2011, a heavy contingent of Ropar and Bathinda Police raided his house at Rampura. Finding it locked, the police tried to find its keys from the neighbors, abusing, threatening and misbehaving with them. The people however refused to be cowed down and did not allow the police to search his house in the absence of any of his family members. To terrorize the people, the police raided the houses of two trade unionists living in the locality. Next day, the police party again came early in the morning along with some Municipal Councilors of Rampura City and forcibly entered in and searched Harbhinder’s house in the absence of his family members and any person from the locality. The police took away a computer, a large number of books and some domestic articles. This move was strongly opposed by the democratic mass organizations of the area. Next day a strongly worded statement denouncing the terror tactics of the police was issued jointly by the Bharti Kisan Union ( Dakonda), Technical Services Union, Democratic Teachers Front, and B.K.U. (Ugrahan).

Lok Morcha Punjab, Democratic Front Against Operation Green Hunt Punjab, and a revolutionary paper SURAKH REKHA condemned the arrest and false implication of Harbhinder Jalal in a criminal case. To keep the people informed about this, we utilized the medium of Facebook by posting news items and press statements on it. Now the DFAOGH Punjab has decided to hold Conventions at Chandigarh and Rampura on this issue along with the repressive measures taken at village Selbrah and Kotra Kaurian Wala, against the people opposing opening of liquor vends.

The planting of 32 bore revolver and live cartridges on Harbhinder Jalal, seems to be a part of the Punjab Police’s crude attempt to discredit revolutionary democratic movement in Punjab. Recently the police unearthed a gang of serving police employees and Arms Dealers, supplying country made illicit arms as genuine, by putting fake stamps and markings of reputed arms companies on them. As many as 8 police employees serving in various districts of Punjab have been arrested. The DGP Punjab, with the aid of certain pliable press persons, has been trying to link it with the Maoists, although up till now, no such proof is forthcoming.

Lok Morcha Punjab views the arrest of Com Harbhinder; falsely charging him with unlawful activities, waging war against the Govt, forgery and cheating; subjecting him to third degree torture, and illegal raids at his house and the houses of other trade unionists at Rampura, as atrocious, totally illegal and undemocratic steps, deserving strongest condemnation. These steps are aimed at stifling the political dissent, and ruthlessly crushing of every attempt to organize the people against the policies of liberalization, globalization and privatization, being pursued by the anti-people and anti-national rulers to ensure super profits for the MNCs and their Indian agents, through unhindered exploitation of our rich natural resources. We call upon all democratic people to join us in demanding withdrawal of the criminal case registered against Com Harbhinder Jalal and his unconditional release; putting an end to all repressive measures initiated against revolutionary political and mass activists and the people; and complete halt to neo-liberal economic policies.

By: N.K.JEET, Advisor, LOK MORCHA PUNJAB, (E-Mail: nkjeetbti@gmail.com)

Press Release

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

Murderous attack on Kissan activists

Attempts to terrorize budding farmers' movement

Defeat Evil designs of anti people fascist forces.

The murderers let lose by the Akali-rulers have struck again. They have enacted another bloody episode. Today, in the late afternoon, a team of BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) workers, was brutally attacked in village Lodhi Gujjar by Sarabjit Singh & his goons. The team was pasting posters of the 3 day long Dharna at Amritsar by 22 organizations of farmers and agri-labours to be held from 25th to 27th March. Sarabjit Lodhi Gujjar is one of the main accused in the murder of Sh. Sadhu Singh Takhtupura, Organizing Secretary of the BKU. Four BKU members namely- Gurcharan Singh Lakhuwal, Sardool Singh Ramdas, Dalip Singh Thoba, & Balwinder Singh Kuralian, were severely injured in this attack and have ben admitted in Guru Nanak Hospital, Amritsar.

Now with the connivance and patronage of his political masters, Sarabjit Lodhi Gujjar is making efforts to falsely implicate BKU leadership in a false criminal case. After the above incident, when the BKU activists had taken the injured persons to the Hospital, he took their vehicles to his house to claim that he was attacked in his house by BKU leaders.

Lok Morcha Punjab has earlier noted that the murder of Sadhu Singh Takhtupura was part of a well-planned attack by a combination of anti-people forces on the blossoming farmers movement in Majha region. These black forces have been uprooting the poor farmers from their lands; repressing them on the strength of goonda-gangs; maintaining a strangle-hold on their lives through butcher police officers, corrupt revenue officials, Panchayti Raj institutions etc. As the people have no effective mass-organization of theirs, to assert their will, they were rendered helpless. BKU filled this void. It provided the people, especially the farmers, a platform to raise their voice against injustice and repression. When SI Rashpal Singh, the most notorious police officer, murdered a poor farmer in police custody and threw his body in front of his house the villagers accepted his challenge. They came out in the streets, caused traffic jam and forced the authorities to register a murder case against him. At village Saurian the people openly fought against the land grabbers and made them eat a humble pie on the strength of their organization. The black forces then retaliated by murdering Sh. Sadhu Singh Takhtupura. Their aim was to put fear amongst the rising farmers movement. But they failed. The present attack at village Lodhi Gujjar is a continuation of their evil designs against the militant farmers movement.

In a report prepared jointly by the Lok Morcha and Inqlabi Kender Punjab, in the aftermath of the murder of Sh. Sadhu Singh Takhtupura, it was specifically pointed out that the murderers were being openly protected by the Akali rulers of Punjab. None was left in any doubt in this regard, when Veer Singh Lopoke EX-Akali MLA was seated alongside the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in a public function attended by Union Home Minister P. Chidambram, despite an FIR having been registered against him on murder charges. The police officials investigating the case refused to record any evidence incriminating Veer Singh Lopoke, Sarabjit, SI Rashpal Singh & Kulwinder Singh Sarpanch Saurian. The game plan was to arrest small fries and save their political masters. The 3-day long Dharna was to force the Govt to act against the real culprits. The attack at Lodhi Gujjar village is a crude attempt to terrorise the BKU activists, which is doomed to fail.

Lodhi Gujjar incident deserves strongest condemnation. Evil designs of anti-people black forces should be defeated through more sweeping and broad based mobilization.

समाचार

पोस्टर लगा रहे किसानों पर बरसाई गोलियां

Jan 01, 05:30 am

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जागरण प्रतिनिधि, अमृतसर। किसान नेता साधु सिंह तख्तूपुरा की हत्या की न्यायिक जांच व आरोपियों की गिरफ्तारी की मांग को लेकर पोस्टर लगा रहे भारतीय किसान यूनियन एकता के कार्यकर्ताओं पर गोलियों व तेजधार हथियारों से किए गए हमले में चार किसान गंभीर रूप से घायल हो गए। एक व्यक्ति की टांगों पर गोलियां लगी हैं। उसका नाक भी तेजधार हथियार से काट दिया गया है। शेष तीन किसान नेताओं के शरीर पर तेजधार हथियारों के गहरे घाव हैं। घायल किसानों के दो मोटरसाइकल और एक स्कूटर को घटनास्थल पर ही तोड़ दिया गया और पोस्टर लेकर फाड़ दिये गए। घटना शनिवार दोपहर करीब पौने चार बजे की है। घायल किसानों को देर शाम गुरु नानक देव अस्पताल की इमरजेंसी में दाखिल करवाया गया है। डाक्टरों के अनुसार सरदूल सिंह की हालत काफी गंभीर है।

घटना के चश्मदीद गवाह भारतीय किसान यूनियन एकता के गुरदासपुर जिला के अध्यक्ष लखविंदर सिंह मंज्जियां वाला, सुखबीर सिंह मोहले और हरजिंदर सिंह ने दैनिक जागरण को बताया कि किसान नेता तख्तुपुरा की हत्या में आरोपी अकाली दल के कार्यकर्ताओं और नेताओं की गिरफ्तारी व मामले की न्यायिक जांच की मांग को लेकर 25 मार्च से डीआईजी बार्डर जोन कार्यालय के बाहर शुरू किये जाने वाले धरने के संबंध में इलाके में पोस्टर लगा रहे थे। वह कुल दस किसान तीन मोटरसाइकल व दो स्कूटरों पर थे। जैसे ही वह गांव लोधी गुज्जर पहुंचे तो वहां एक अकाली नेता सर्बजीत सिंह लोधी गुज्जर और उसके भतीजे ने उन्हें पोस्टर लगाने से रोका और गोलियां चलानी शुरू कर दीं। इस दौरान करीब 40-50 और व्यक्ति भी तेजधार हथियारों के साथ आ गए और उन पर हमला कर दिया।

एक गोली सरदूल सिंह निवासी रमदास के पैर पर लगी और वह गिर गया तो उस पर तेजधार हथियारों से हमला बोल दिया। उसका नाक भी कट गया। गुरचरण सिंह निवासी लक्खूवाल, बलविंदर सिंह निवासी कुरालियां और दलीप सिंह निवासी थोबो को तेजधार हथियारों से घायल कर हमलावर फरार हो गए।

सूचना मिलते ही भारी पुलिस बल के साथ जीएनडीएच पहुंचे डीएसपी गुरसेवक सिंह बराड़ ने कहा कि मामले की जांच की जा रही है। सभी के बयान दर्ज करने के बाद ही मामला दर्ज किया जाएगा।

उधर भारतीय किसान यूनियन के राज्य महासचिव सुखदेव सिंह कोकरी कलां और लोक मोर्चा पंजाब के महासचिव अमोलक सिंह ने कहा कि किसानों के आंदोलन को कमजोर करने और किसानों की राज्य स्तरीय लीडरशिप को झूठे मामलों में फंसाने की साजिश तहत ही संगठन वर्करों पर हमला सुनियोजित राजनीति के तहत किया है। हमलावरों को सजा दिलवाने तक उनका आंदोलन जारी रहेगा।

Punjab Protest Against Lalgarh Atrocities

COMMITTE FORMED TO PROTEST AGAINST REPRESSION ON LALGARH PEOPLE
A' Committee Against Repression On Lalgarh People' has been formed in Punjab today. It consists of three members, who are well-known leaders of democratic-revolutionary organisations, namely- Kanwaljit Khanna (Inqulabi Kender, Punjab), Balwant Makhu (Lok Sangram Manch) and Amolak Singh (Lok Morcha Punjab). The Committee in its first meeting held has decided to hold a protest demonstration at Moga on 10.7.09. Lok Morcha Punjab endorsing this call has called upon all its members and sympathisers to participate in the protest demonstration in full strength to show their solidarity with the struggling people of Lalgarh.

STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF LALGARH STRUGGLE

The tribal of Lalgarh are fighting a glorious struggle to protect their lands, forests, natural resources, culture, lives, liberty & honor. After the land-mine blast on the caravan of West Bengal C.M. Budhdeb Bhattacharya and the then Union Steel & Mines Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, in November 2008, the West Bengal police launched a massive combing operation in the Lalgarh area, conducting mid-night raids; beating up, assaulting and dishonoring women & children, illegally detaining & torturing them in police camps. The tribal refused to take it lying down and took to the path of struggle against these repressive measures by organizing themselves in Committees for Resisting Police Repression, in numerous villages. The held massive Dharnas and protest sieges before the police-camps and decided to socially boycott those police officials who perpetuated cruelties upon them. There was absolutely nothing “Maoist” in their 11-point charter of demands, which included public apology by policemen responsible for torturing & humiliating the people; an end to mid-night police raids; release of innocent persons detained without trial since 1998 on the suspicion of being ‘Maoists’; removal of all police camps from various schools, hospitals & other public buildings in the area; & compensation to the victims of police brutalities, etc.
Although the authorities conceded these demands and promised to initiate action to implement these, but this announcement was a clever ploy to buy time. Shortly afterwards, the police raids restarted with increased vigor; police repression on the innocent people intensified & the police camps were re-established. Two leaders of the Committee for Resisting Police Repression, namely Nirmal Sardar & Hemadri Mahato were brutally murdered. CPI (M) goons are enacting a different type of ‘Salwa Judam’, openly firing upon struggling tribal, killing & maiming many people.
Now a full scale offensive with a contingent of more than 5000 armed personnel is underway. Indian state is trying to overawe & crush simple tribal folks, by massive deployment of its security forces, armed with ultra-modern & sophisticated weapons, under the garb of flushing out the ‘Maoists’.
The Santhal tribal of Lalgarh have been deprived of the basic necessities of life, since decades. There is no electricity, irrigation facilities, motorable roads etc. Facilities for education, health care, safe drinking water etc are scarce. For the last more than 5 years, the few existing school, hospital & other public buildings have been occupied by the security forces. Funds provided under various ‘development schemes’ such as NREGA, Indira Awas Yojna etc are cornered by Marxist-controlled Panchayats to benefit their own cadres. The Public Distribution System is being used for illegal enrichment of Depot Holders, who are members or sympathizers of CPI (M) & corrupt officials. Now in the name of establishing Special Economic Zones, a wave of dispossession of tribal from their lands & forests has started to facilitate their exploitation by MNCs & their Indian agents. The CPI (M) which has remained entrenched in the Writers Building for more than three days on the strength of tribal votes has done nothing to ameliorate their lot. Rather it has worsened further due to anti-people neo-liberal policies being pursued by the West Bengal & Central Govts.
With the present armed offensive & extreme violent repression, the State may lull the movement temporarily. But the democratic revolutionary aspirations of Lalgarh people can not be crushed. The movement will rebound with great vigor and increased strength, winning support & solidarity from the struggling people throughout India.

Dated: 26.6.09