women folk and 11 women comrades with a baby
got killed. Actually the police took revenge on 25 th
May. After 24 th May this incident exposed the UF
government. It proved UF government was not to
safeguard the rights of the peasants and workers
but to safeguard the interests of the land owning
class. These two incidents created a great stir
throughout West Bengal and length and breadth of
our country. Hence 25 th became Martyrs Day and it
exposed the sham and fakeness of parliamentary
path in relation to the question of radical land reform
ie. Agrarian Revolution. Hence a remotest place
Naxalbari became a turning point in communist
movement. Supporting Naxalbari struggle became
emblem of communist revolutionary while opposing
Naxalbari struggle meant taking the side of bourgeois
landlord system and their status quo. Inspite of all
vicious attacks by the UF government the Naxalbari
struggle continued unabated till September 1967.
A few more events are to be mentioned in
connection with Naxalbari struggle. The period
between July and September 1967 was very crucial
for Naxalbari struggle. Repeated encirclement by the
poli ce and para-military forces took place in this
period. The repeated announcement of surrender
and sudden arrest of Com. Jungal Santhal created
problems for the leadership. As a matter of fact com.
Khokan Mazumdar, Jungal Santhal and Babulal
Viswakarmarkar took shelter in a peasant hut. The
area is favourable due existence of bushes, a small
jungle and nearby tea plantation area. It is heard that
when the police were trying to encircle the area at
that very moment Com, KM suggested leaving the
shelter one after another. And he left first. He got
through. But comrades Jungal Santhal and Babulal
Viswakarmarkar were arrested a little away from the
hut. This caused a great damage”.(from The History
of CPI(ML) from 1969 – 72 – An Evaluation by Com.
KS, 2005)
The Naxalbari Struggle that took place 50 years
back in 1967 had 14 years of background. The
experiences of 14 years earned during relentless
class struggle helped the comrades of Naxalbari ro
break from revisionism, neo-revisionism and left
trends. The resistance to Jotedars and government
on 24 th May 1967 was a revolutionary act and
complete break from neo-revisionism and parlia-
mentary line. The call of Naxalbari reverberated in
all parts of India.
Srikakulam Adivasi Armed Upsurge
The Srikakulam adivasi movement also
developed over a long period. The communists
November - 2017
organised the Girijan Sangh since 1959 in various
forms of struggle on the basis of 10 demands (land,
loan waiver, abolition of bonded labour, right to forest
etc). People got most of these demands fulfilled. The
movement reached a new stage by 1969. The people
are taking into their possession lands that were
illegally occupied by the landlords. They also
distributed draught and dairy animals of landlords
among themselves. They stopped transport of rice
from this area and distributed them at fair prices.
This gave an impetus to the movement.
Fearing the growth of peoples movement, the
landlords and their henchmen attacked the adivasis
and killed two girijans. Koranna and Manganna were
the first martyrs of the struggle. After some time, the
people got mobilised in the commemorating
programme for martyrs. They moved to cancel the
loans and harvested standing crops. It became a
daily affair for the people to move in a rally with
traditional weapons. They are ready to implement
the land distribution. The girijan sangh established
its authority.
The camp of Special Armed Police was set up
in this area after 2-2-1968. Large scale attack by
police started from March 1968. Many adivasis were
arrested. Several women were molested and the
properties of the people were looted. Another two
adivasis were killed in an armed conflict. As the
people were not prepared to face this situation, they
were not able to resist these attacks in an organised
manner.
Under the guidance of state leadership, the
District Committee took certain steps on March 29.
“1. The party cadre had to re-establish relations with
the people and restore the ordinary life and
agricultural activities that were disturbed by the
police.
2. taking organisational, political and technical
preparations needed for armed struggle.
3. taking all the possible steps to extend the move-
ment to other areas of agency and to Odisha.
The state leadership stressed that the then
movement was limited to very small area. Both
Seethampeta and Parvatipuram areas are small
and surrounded by roads. It was impossible for
the guerrilla squads to withstand enemy’s
onslaught”. (Review of APCCCR).
Yet, the left opportunist leadership at all India level
and a section of District committee leadership had
ignored the direction from the State Committee and
went to the extent of splitting from APCCCR and
joined directly the AICCCR. A gap was created
29