MADHUBANI

Rajnagar

In Bhatsimar village, a struggle was launched against a landlord (who also happens to be the mukhiya of the panchayat), opposing eviction and demanding wage-hike. Ultimately the mukhiya bowed down and in a panchayat meeting attended by nearly 1,000 people, a compromise was worked out—wages were increased by 1.5 kg. and the landlord also agreed to increase the quantity of breakfast by 150 grams.

In Rampatti village, sharecroppers under the leadership of the peasant organisation captured 60 acres of land belonging to a Mahant.

In Simri village, 45 acres of vested land were captured and distributed among 45 peasants.

The Bhatsimar incident

Two musclemen of the landlord-cum-mukhiya had molested a woman. The villagers protested against this and gave a thorough bashing to the musclemen. The latter then returned with the police, took away one peasant to the police camp and beat him black and blue. Hearing this news, peasants gathered there and raised their voice against police highhandedness. The BPKS decided to organise a demonstration against police highhandedness and the arrest of the peasant. Accordingly, on 3 April, 1982, some 300 peasants marched to the Baluaha police camp, demanding, among other things, the release of the arrested peasant, withdrawal of the police camp, and enforcement of minimum wages.

While returning, the demonstrators were pelted with stones by the musclemen of the landlord. And when they started chasing the musclemen the police opened fire. Two persons, including one woman, died on the spot. Later on, four injured peasants were dragged out of their houses and they were then shot dead in the police camp. And the main leaders and cadres were all put behind the bars.

The massacre of these six peasants, no doubt, caused a temporary setback to the developing peasant movement, but it has not been able to silence the oppressed peasantry for ever. Last year, when a group of armed policemen, headed by a sub-inspector, tried to arrest one Kishan Sabha activist from Raiyam village of Jhanjharpur block (constituency of the former chief minister, Jagannath Mishra), peasants immediately encircled the police party and gave all of them a good bashing. And later, when the policemen took one peasant to the police station, hundreds of peasants gheraoed it and forced the police officials to release the arrested peasant.