Observe July 28 as Martyr’s Day

Observe July 28 as Martyr’s Day

July 28 is the day when Comrade Charu Majumdar (CM), leader of the Naxalbari Uprising and the first General Secretary of CPI (ML) became martyr in 1972. Comrade CM being taken into custody on July 16, 1972 by Calcutta Police was murdered in lock-up on July 28 and then cremated at Keoratola Crematorium under the surveillance of armed and paramilitary forces. In the context of Naxalbari and in the prolonged struggle against the ruling system, many comrades became martyrs and thousands were subjected to state terrorism. Obviously, since Naxalbari, state terror, police repression and imprisonment have become regular feature on all those who continued the resistance against the anti-people policies of the central and state regimes. Hence, Communist Revolutionaries in India have been observing July 28 as All India Martyr’s Day, the Day of Commemoration of all those comrades who sacrificed their lives for revolution and liberation of the working class and all oppressed from the dictatorship of imperialist ruling system.

Of course, it was based on CM’s perspective on developing peasant struggles based on consistent ideological fight against ‘modern revisionism’ that the historic Naxalbai Uprising had begun in 1967 May in which peasants organized in peasant committees started forcible capture of land from jotedars, militantly resisting state repression and sacrificing their lives in the process. The police firing at struggling peasants on 25th May, 1967 in the Naxalbari block of Siliguri subdivision in Darjeeling district resulting in the martyrdom of many including 9 women and 1 child was only one instance of the horrors unleashed by the regime in which CPI (M) was also a constituent at that time. The Naxalbari struggle, though brutally suppressed, inspired the communist revolutionaries across India to initiate similar struggles. And, within a short span of time, the organisational initiatives on the part of revolutionaries led to the formation of All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (AICCCR) followed by declaration by Kanu Sanyal on founding of the Party, CPI (ML), at a mass meeting in Calcutta on 22 April, 1969, Lenin’s birthday.

Today, when we are observing All India Martyr’s Day on July 28, our country is passing through one of the darkest periods in history since RSS, the biggest and longest-running fascist organization using its political tool BJP and merging itself with the most corrupt and reactionary sections of corporate capital, is engaged in a maddening pace towards transforming India into a Hindurashtra. The latest manifestation of this ever-intensifying process is the ongoing horrors in Manipur against ethnic Christian tribes which, in continuation of Gujarat pogrom that targeted Muslims and Kandhamal violence against Christians, is the direct outcome of majoritarian fascist agenda of pitting the majority Meitei community against the kuki tribal community. Thus it has become amply clear that if the BJP is allowed to win the forthcoming general election, then RSS will use that opportunity for its ultimate objective of establishing a theocratic fascist Hindutva regime which will be the grave-yard of religious minorities, Dalits and Tribals and above all women.

However, the Revolutionary Left which from the perspective of working class and all oppressed is duty-bound to lead, ideologically, politically and organizationally, the resistance against fascism is not in a position to shoulder this task as it has not yet recovered from the setbacks it suffered. This is reflected in the failure on the part of many Communist parties to have a concrete understanding on the neo-fascist situation both at the global and Indian context. This has enabled the fascists and reactionary ruling classes to postpone their collapse by dividing and disorienting working class and oppressed through a whole set of reactionary ideologies. Thus while serving a tiny corporate and upper caste elites through all means at its disposal, the neofascist regime is diverting people’s attention from the horrific levels of wealth concentration and inequality, poverty and deprivation, unemployment, price rise and corruption by spreading extreme hatred and polarizing the social fabric and unleashing regular massacres and atrocities on minorities, Dalits, tribals and women. In this fascist situation, commemoration of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for liberation of the people from oppression and exploitation calls for our all-out offensive, both theoretical and practical, from our part joining with all like-minded sections including tactical alliances with all anti-fascist forces for overthrowing the fascist regime at the earliest.

The Central Committee of CPI (ML) Red Star appeals to all Party State Committees to come forward taking initiative for appropriately observing July 28 as Martyr’s Day.

Red salute to Martyrs!

Unite to resist and defeat RSS-Fascism!!

Strive for People’s Democracy and Socialism!!!

P J James
General Secretary
CPI (ML) Red Star

27th July 2023