CPI(ML) state secretary Kunal has strongly condemned the administrative action carried out on May 3 in Sukulchak village of Jehanabad district, where a heavy police force was deployed to demolish the memorial of Maoist leader Dev Kumar Singh, also known as Arvind Kumar. The party said the move is not only undemocratic but a direct attack on citizens’ ideological rights, social memory and democratic values.
The administration reached the site without any transparent process and without taking local people into confidence. During the operation, parts of the memorial were partially damaged and marble was removed. However, due to sharp resistance from the local people, the administration was forced to retreat. Later, the action was stopped following instructions from a higher level, raising serious questions over the entire sequence of events.
CPI(ML) said that in any democratic system, acceptance of diversity of ideas is fundamental. Association with any ideology cannot be treated as a crime. Differences must be resolved through dialogue and democratic process, not through repression and use of force. The attempt to demolish the memorial shows that the administration is moving towards forcibly suppressing ideological dissent, which is deeply concerning.
The party also said that after the death of Arvind Kumar, the memorial was constructed on private land by his family with voluntary support. Every year, people gather there to pay tribute. Such memorials are linked not only to an individual’s memory but also to the socio political history of the area. Attacking such sites amounts to disregarding history and public sentiment.
A CPI(ML) inquiry team visited the site on May 4 and gathered detailed information from the family and local people. The team included state standing committee members Mahanand and Ramadhar Singh, state committee member Ravindra Yadav, and local leaders Niranjan Kumar and Lalan Singh. The team found the administrative action arbitrary and unnecessary.
The CPI(ML) state committee has demanded a high level and impartial inquiry into the incident, identification of the guilty officials and strict action against them, and compensation for the damage caused to the memorial. It has also called for clear guidelines to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future.
The party warned that if such repressive actions are not stopped, a broad movement will be built among the people.
