Organize protest Actions on 18th January at all India level

New Delhi. CPI(ML) Red Star strongly condemned the police firing on the struggling peasants and villagers of Bhangor, South 24 Parganas in West Bengal on 17th January morning in which one peasant comrade is killed and three got bullet injuries.

CPI(ML) Red Star General Secretary KN Ramachandran issued a press release. Full text of Release is as follows

All progressive forces are requested to organize protest marches on 18th January from 2 pm when a protest march is organized at Kolkata from College Street to Esplanade.

Following the great success of the road blockade under the banner of Land, Livelihood, Biodiversity and Environment Protection Committee (Jomi Jeebika Vaasthuthantro O Porivesh Raksha Committee) on 11th January in which more than a lakh people, nearly half of them women, participated paralyzing 12 kms stretch of the Haroa Road demanding Stop the Execution of Power Grid Project at Polerhat, the TMC government is using the police forces and TMC goondas to create provocations and use state terror to suppress the movement. It shows that the state government is going back from its earlier assurances to stop the Power Grid construction and to hold discussion with the people’s committee for resolving the conflict.

In this situation the Jomi Jeebika Vaasthuthantro O Porivesh Raksha Committee and the Solidarity Committee in Support of the Bhangor Pesants have decided to organize a Protest March against State Repression and Police Firing on the Struggling Peasants and Villagers of Bhangor, South 24 Parganas on 18 January 2017, Wednesday at 2 P M from College Square to Esplanade. Record your protest by participating the March or by organizing such marches wherever possible and declare your Solidarity with the struggling peasants of Polerhat, Bhangor and Villagers.

The people's anger has burst out first during the Raj Bhavan march on 22nd December and during the indefinite Road Blockade against the Project Power Grid of the Central government which takes away the lives and livelihood of the peasants, damages the very biodiversity and environment of the surrounding areas. Though the blockade and other forms of struggle are withdrawn after the construction works are stopped and the state power minister assuring discussion with all concerned forces, from 16th evening the goonda forces affiliated to ruling TMC started creating provocations leading to arrest of the leaders of the Struggling Committee. Goondas and police attacked the villagers on 17th early morning, continued provocation and when people started getting mobilized by 11 am started the firing.

We appeal to all democratic forces to protest against the police firing and organize protest actions wherever possible at all India level. All party committees are called upon to organize protest actions in support of the Anti Power Grid Movement in Bengal at Bhangor.

Hastakshep