Martyr Comrades
Umesh Paswan and Manu Kushwaha
Mafia killings in north west Bihar continue unabated against our Party. 9 months back Comrade Chandrashekhar and Shyam Narain Yadav were assassinated by goons of the notorious criminal and RJD MP, Shahbuddin. In the evening of 24 November, two of Party’s popular leaders from Siwan, Comrades Umesh Paswan and Manu Kushwaha were gunned down by RJD goons at Kharoni village. The comrades were on their way to the village to attend a block-level meeting of the 17-party front.
What is noteworthy is that the killing was masterminded by Sadhu Yadav, the notorious brother of chief minister Rabri Devi. Goons of the Subhash Yadav gang, another relative of Laloo Yadav, were paid to execute the assassination.
The political killing is a fallout of the advances CPI(ML) had made against the oppression of the feudal forces and its political challenge to RJD, in the adjoining district of Gopalganj. Comrade Umesh Paswan had laid the foundation of Party’s work in this district in 1993 at Chainpur village, infamous for feudal oppression. Later in the same year, five youths who had come to attend one of the Party’s public meetings were gunned down by feudal goons. This was the first massacre by the feudal forces in this region. Incidentally, Laloo’s home constituency falls under Gopalganj district.
In the past few years, Party’s work in the districts of Siwan and Gopalganj had expanded remarkably. Under Com.Paswan’s leadership, within two years CPI(ML) had become one of the important political forces here. Unable to tolerate this, JD (and now RJD), selectively assassinated our Party’s important leaders to ward off any potential thereat in the coming elections. At the same time, they also received the support of the feudal lords who were unable to stomach the increasing mobilisation of the poor and oppressed masses under CPI(ML).
In the last assembly elections in 1995, contesting from the Bhore constituency of Gopalganj, Com.Paswan polled 18,000 votes despite booth capturing by JD on an unprecedented scale. The Party’s influence has grown ever since. The fear of an electoral defeat at the hands of CPI(ML) in Laloo’s own home territory in the next assembly elections, led to this assassination.
Com.Paswan joined our Party in 1978, being deeply influenced by the brave struggles launched by CPI(ML) in Bhojpur. Hailing from Deoria district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Com.Paswan began his political journey with the Socialist Party in 1968. He then joined the CPI(M) and later the MCC. Soon after he joined the Party along with few other MCC members working in Deoria, the notorious landlord Rajendra Singh was eliminated. With this began the Party’s work in the bordering areas of Deoria and Siwan. In 1979 he was sent by the Party to work in East Champaran. He also played an important role in building up the peasant movement in Sikta block of West Champaran. In Gopalganj, the blocks of Bhore and Vijaypur emerged as the two main centres of our struggle where we successfully launched movements against the notorious gangsters Anirudh Rai, Nagendra Rai and Vinay Sahai. Forced to bite dust, these gangsters teamed up with RJD leader Subhash Yadav. With police connivance the combine launched numerous armed attacks on our strongholds.
Only 24 years old, Comrade Manu had from his childhood fearlessly resisted the oppression of the feudals in his village, Chitonia in Gopalganj. He came in to contact with the Party in 1993 and within a short time built up the Party in his village and also played an important role in expanding it in the neighbouring villages. His close integration with the rural poor and strong resistance against Brahminism made him a popular leader. More and more people from backward and minority communities in his area were accepting him as their leader.
On hearing of the killing of their leaders, thousands assembled at the spot of attack within hours. The two leaders were cremated in their native villages and a huge crowd gathered for the funeral procession, giving out enough indication that the people of Siwn and Gopalganj will not let the murderous attack go unanswered.
We pay tributes to the beloved comrades and extend condolences to their bereaved families.