CPI (Maoist) eastern regional bureau calls for shutdown; memorial events honouring 'fallen leaders'

Patna, July 20 (IANS) The Eastern Regional Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has announced a bandh (shutdown) across Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam on August 3 in protest against the Centre's Operation Black Forest, also known as Operation Kagar, to eliminate Maoists.

It has released a pamphlet commemorating the death of senior party leaders, including General Secretary and Politburo member Comrade Basavaraj (Nambala Keshav Rao), and Politburo member Comrade Vivek (Karm), urging widespread mobilisation across several Indian states.

The document serves both as an obituary and a clarion call, glorifying the "sacrifices" of 27 cadre members killed in recent encounters and labelling them as "martyrs" of the revolution.

Central to the message is a condemnation of Operation Kagar, described by the Bureau as a "fascist offensive" responsible for the deaths of "Comrade Vivek" and eight others in the Gundikota region.

To honour the deceased, the CPI (Maoist) has declared a phase of memorial meetings from June 11 to August 3 for Comrade Basavaraj and from July 20 to August 3 for those "martyred" in Gundikota.

The objective, according to the pamphlet, is to galvanise public sentiment and challenge what the party refers to as the "oppressive state machinery."

Comrade Basavaraj, who allegedly fell in an encounter in Chhattisgarh on May 21, is portrayed as a guiding force for the revolutionary movement. The document graphically recounts his final stand, positioning it as a symbol of unwavering resistance.

Despite the government's continued crackdown, the Bureau insists the movement remains resilient.

The pamphlet appeals to sympathisers, especially youth and intellectuals, to "draw inspiration from the revolutionary path" and strengthen the grassroots organisation.

It invokes Leninist imagery and calls for redoubled commitment to the cause of armed struggle.

The pamphlet, emblazoned with the hammer and sickle, reiterates the CPI (Maoist)'s ideological conviction and seeks to translate grief into mobilisation.

With state agencies likely to heighten security in anticipation of the proposed "bandh" and memorials, tensions are expected to escalate in the identified regions. While the document refrains from naming specific retaliation plans, its tone suggests a strategic pivot from mourning to mobilisation - a familiar narrative arc in the Maoist playbook.

--IANS

sktr/svn