Skip to main content

Criminal intimidation: How pro-people agenda and campaign was trampled upon in Mumbai

By Harsh Thakor 

On the afternoon of 6th February, on a busy road in Shivajinagar, five workers of Revolutionary Workers' Party of India were brutally assaulted by goons of Samajwadi Party in broad daylight and a female worker abused and threatened with rape after having her clothes torn.
One day later, not only have the police failed to punish the culprits, they have in fact registered a counter-FIR on behalf of Samajwadi Party goons and have framed RWPI workers with rioting, unlawful assembly and criminal intimidation among a number of other charges. five member RWPI delegation, comprising of Dr. Pooja, an occupational therapist specializing in pediatrics; Baban, a full time political worker of RWPI; Avinash, a student of M.A. Philosophy from Mumbai University; Ashay, a teacher and a student of M.A. Political Science; and Shashank, a chemical engineer and teacher, accompanied by about two dozen local residents had called upon the Ward No. 134 corporator Shaera Azmi demanding justification for their inaction of overflowing sewers in Rafiq (Rafi) Nagar. The contaminated water from the sewers had started penetrating the homes of the residents, causing increased cases of Dengue, Malaria, Typhoid and cases of fever, chills, skin infections and various other illnesses. Having gathered in front of the corporator’s office, the people were forced to wait for hours. Various delaying tactics were employed. When the members of the RWPI delegation declared a final ultimatum, stating that failure to take immediate action on the issue would result in a complete election boycott of Samajwadi Party, Fahad Azmi and his goons plunged into action. Ashay, who was recording the confrontation, was first assaulted, hit on his face. Pooja's clothes were torn by Fahad Azmi, her arm twisted. She was repeatedly kicked, abused and threatened her with rape. Shashank was hit on the back of his head, Avinash hit with a belt and Baban with a bench. Ironically it is the RWPI workers who are being charged with "assault or criminal force with the intention outraging the modesty of a woman", "voluntarily causing hurt", "rioting", "unlawful assembly", "criminal intimidation to cause death or grievous hurt" and "insult intended to provoke breach of peace".
This whole affair illustrates the immense money power and clout exerted by Samajwadi Party. Corrupt and deprived political parties like the Samajwadi Party are and their ‘liberal’ projection in fact makes them even more pernicious. Pertinent that the true colours of even the Samjawadi party have been illustrated, which endorses the oppressive economic agenda of the ruling class parties.
A pro-people agenda and campaign has been trampled on, which is coherent with the oppressive social order as a whole. Exploiter classes and parties today are playing around and endangering the environment, making the common people hapless. The need of the hour is to tooth and nail the two-facedness of such parties and establish a genuine workers' alternative. All justice loving citizens must stand in solidarity with RWPI volunteers in their fight against the hooliganism, corruption and apathy of the Samajwadi Party. We If we fail to do so let the fascists and their allies will snatch away even the most basic right to pose questions to f our so-called “representatives”. Democrats must appreciate the relentless efforts of RWPI activists in digging at the very roots of the repressive aspects of our environment, which is at the mercy of the corporates.
Such condition of sanitation or proper civil infrastructure is part and parcel of the pro-corporate agenda of those who govern us.
Progressive people should commend the grass root work of the RWPI. who have inspired and knitted youth to raise the banner of resistance for proper sanitation or civil infrastructure, and offer them utmost solidarity.
The fact that the goons have been let off scot free exposes how is social order is partisan to the ruling and exploiter classes and mercilessly stamps on all democratic resistance. It illustrates that in essence the aspirations of parties like Samajwadi party preserve and patronise the aspirations of neo-fascism and are liberal parties only in form.
---
Harsh Thakor is freelance journalist from Mumbai who has covered mass movement all around India and been in touch with RWPI activists

Comments

TRENDING

देशव्यापी ग्रामीण भारत बंध में उतरे मध्य प्रदेश के आदिवासी, किया केंद्र सरकार का विरोध

- हरसिंग जमरे, भिखला सोलंकी, रतन अलावे*  15 और 16 फरवरी को निमाड के बड़वानी, खरगोन और बुरहानपुर में जागृत आदिवासी दलित संगठन के नेतृत्व में आदिवासी महिला-पुरुषों ग्रामीण भारत बंद में रैली एवं विरोध प्रदर्शन किया । प्रधान मंत्री द्वारा 2014 में फसलों की लागत का डेढ़ गुना भाव देने का वादा किया गया था, 2016 में किसानों की आय दुगना करने का वादा किया गया था । आज, फसलों का दाम नहीं बढ़ रहा है, लेकिन खेती में खर्च बढ़ता जा रहा है! खाद, बीज और दवाइयों का दाम, तीन-चार गुना बढ़ चुका है! किसानों को लागत का डेढ़ गुना भाव देने के बजाए, खेती को कंपनियों के हवाले करने के लिए 3 काले कृषि कानून लाए गए । 3 काले कानून वापस लेते समय प्रधान मंत्री ने फिर वादा किया था कि फसलों की लागत का डेढ़ गुना भाव की कानूनी गारंटी के लिए कानून बनाएँगे, लेकिन वो भी झूठ निकला! आज जब देश के किसान दिल्ली में आपको अपना वादा याद दिलाने आए है, तब आप उनका रास्ता रोक रहें है, उनके साथ मारपीट कर उन पर आँसू गैस फेंक रहें हैं, उन पर छर्रों से फायरिंग कर रहें है! देश को खिलाने वाला किसान खुद भूखा रहे, क्या यही विकास है?

नफरती बातें: मुसलमानों में असुरक्षा का भाव बढ़ रहा है, वे अपने मोहल्लों में सिमट रहे हैं

- राम पुनियानी*  भारत पर पिछले 10 सालों से हिन्दू राष्ट्रवादी भारतीय जनता पार्टी (भाजपा) राज कर रही है. भाजपा आरएसएस परिवार की सदस्य है और आरएसएस का लक्ष्य है हिन्दू राष्ट्र का निर्माण. आरएसएस से जुड़ी सैंकड़ों संस्थाएँ हैं. उसके लाखों, बल्कि शायद, करोड़ों स्वयंसेवक हैं. इसके अलावा कई हजार वरिष्ठ कार्यकर्ता हैं जिन्हें प्रचारक कहा जाता है. भाजपा के सत्ता में आने के बाद से आरएसएस दुगनी गति से हिन्दू राष्ट्र के निर्माण के अपने एजेण्डे को पूरा करने में जुट गया है. यदि भाजपा को चुनावों में लगातार सफलता हासिल हो रही है तो उसका कारण है देश में साम्प्रदायिकता और साम्प्रदायिक मुद्दों का बढ़ता बोलबाला. इनमें से कुछ हैं राम मंदिर, गौमांस और गोवध एवं लव जिहाद. 

Only 15% businesses provide employees real-time sustainability dashboards: Study

Kyndryl in collaboration with Microsoft has released the findings of The Global Sustainability Barometer study. The study, conducted by Ecosystm, finds that while 85% of organizations place a high strategic level of importance on achieving their sustainability goals, only 16% have integrated sustainability into their strategies and data. A Kyndryl note: *** Kyndryl (NYSE: KD), the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, in collaboration with Microsoft , today released the findings of The Global Sustainability Barometer study. The study, conducted by Ecosystm , finds that while 85% of organizations place a high strategic level of importance on achieving their sustainability goals, only 16% have integrated sustainability into their strategies and data.

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das*  India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on.

Laxmanpur Bathe massacre: Perfect example of proto-fascist Brahmanical social order

By Harsh Thakor  The massacre at Laxmanpur-Bathe of Jehanabad in Bihar on the night of 1 December in 1997 was a landmark event with distinguishing features .The genocide rightly shook the conscience of the nation in the 50th year of Indian independence. The scale of the carnage was unparalleled in any caste massacre. It was a perfect manifestation of how in essence the so called neo-liberal state was in essence most autocratic. 

અત્યારસુધી પ્રિન્ટ કરાયેલા ચુંટણી બૉન્ડ નો પ્રિન્ટિંગ ખર્ચ રૂ 1,90,01,380 કેન્દ્ર સરકારે ભોગવ્યો

- પંક્તિ જોગ  ચુંટણી બૉન્ડ ના કુલ 30 તબક્કામાં SBI  જુદાજુદા 19 રાજ્યો માં અધિકૃત કરેલા SBI મુખ્ય શાખાઓ માંથી જે બોન્ડ વેંચવામાં આવ્યા તેના કમિશન પેટે SBI કેન્દ્ર સરકાર (નાણાં મંત્રાલય) પાસે રૂ 12,4,59,043/-  માંગ્યા. 

Tamil Nadu brahmins are at cross roads, their future scenario remains uncertain

By NS Venkataraman*  For over 70 years now, brahmin community in Tamil Nadu have been abused, insulted and even physically attacked on some occasions by those who claimed that they were part of the so called dravidian movement. However, brahmin community silently and helplessly ducked under pressure and showed no signs of resistance or fight back.

गुजरात विश्वविद्यालय कुलपति महोदया का बयान उल्टा चोर कोतवाल को डांटे समान है

गुजरात विश्व विद्यालय परिसर में विदेशी छात्रों को सांस्कृतिक संवेदनशीलता का पाठ देने की ख़बर के संबंध में विश्व विद्यालय को खुला पत्र: --- प्रति श्री, कुलपति महोदय गुजरात विश्वविद्यालय अहमदाबाद विषय- गुजरात विश्व विद्यालय परिसर में विदेशी छात्रों को सांस्कृतिक संवेदनशीलता का पाठ देने की ख़बर के संबंध में। महोदया,

અંકલેશ્વર/પાનોલી માં વાંરવાર અકસ્માત ના બનાવો બને છે એ એક ચિંતન નો વિષય છે

- સલીમ પટેલ*  પાનોલી જીઆઇડીસીમાં ઓદ્યોગિક ઘન/પ્રવાહી કચરાનું રીસાયલીંગ કરતી RSPL નામની કમ્પની આવેલ છે. જે અન્ય ઓદ્યોગિક એકમોના રાસાયણિક કચરાને રીસાયલીંગ કરવાનું કામ કરે છે જેમાં અનેક અને દુર –દુર ના એકમોનો રાસાયણિક કચરાને અહિયાં પ્રોસેસ માટે લાવવામાં આવે છે. આ દરમ્યાન 23.03.24 નાં રોજ મોડી સાંજે કોઈ કારણોસર રાસાયણિક કચરામાં આગ લાગતા હોળી પેહલા જ વેસ્ટ કેમિકલ હોળી દહન ના દ્ર્શ્યો સર્જાયા હતા અને તેમાં સોલ્વન્ટ સહીત ના ઝેરી તત્વો શામેલ હોવાના લીધે વાતાવરણ પ્રદુષિત બનતા આસપાસના લોકોમાં ભય ફેલાયો હતો. આ અગાઉ પણ ગત વર્ષે પણ પાનોલી જી આઈ ડી સી માં આગ અકસ્માત નો બનાવ બનતા કેટલાક ગામો ને ખાલી કરવાની ફરજ પડી હતી જે ઘટના ને યાદ કરી પ્રજા માં ભય નું વાતાવરણ સર્જાયું હતું.

Erroneously linked with Maoist party, activist arrested under UAPA for his bold voice

By Harsh Thakor* On Monday 11 th of March , the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of the repressive Indian State presented fabricated charges against Sanjoy Deepak Rao in the jurisdiction of a special court for the NIA in Hyderabad. Sanjoy Deepak Rao, a progressive intellectual from Jammu and Kashmir, was already arrested several times for his bold voice. Last September he was arrested again, in Telangana, this time charged of being a leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a party which leads the People’s War against the old Indian State.