Newly Elected Office bearers of CITU at the 14TH All India Conference

M. K. Pandhe Nagar (Kannur): The 14th conference of India’s largest working class organization, CITU being held in Kannur for the last five days has today unanimously elected its office bearers for next term of three years. A. K. Padmanabhan and Tapan Sen will continue as the president and General Secretary for the second consecutive term respectively. Ranjana Nirula elected as treasurer for the second term.

PRESIDENT : A K PADMANABHAN66 years. Born in a handloom workers family in Kanur, Kerala. Father was an activist of CSP & CPI before 1947.

Studied PUC in Chennai. Joined Ashok Leyland Company, Chennai as a trade Apprentice at the age of 16, in 1963. Was a skilled operator in Ashok Leyland. Started trade union activities in 1967. From 1970 active in CITU. Dismisserd in 1972 for unionising the workers. From 1972 wholetimer. Attended the CITU foundation conference. 1973 District CITU Joint Secretary, in 1980 State Office Bearer. From 1991 National Secretary. President of Tamil Nadu CITU in 2007-2010. From 1986, State Secretariat member and from 2005 Central Committee member of CPI (M).In 2012 elected to the Polit bureau of CPI(M).

GENERAL SECRETARY: TAPAN SEN62 years. Born on 2nd October 1951 in Kolkata.

Father and Mother, Late Bankim and Amiya Sen, were freedomn fighters and been jailed during independent movement. They were active in Chittagong apprisal. Studied in Kolkata, active in Student and Youth movement. Joined SAIL in 1971 became active in CITU. Leader of SWFI (Steel Workers Federation of India). 1987 joined the CITU centre in Delhi. National Secretary of CITU since 1994. From 2006 onwards Member of Rajya Sabha. Re-elected in 2012. Elected to the Central Committee of CPI (M) in 2008.

TREASURER : RANJANA NIRULA

67 years. Born in 1945 in Delhi in an professional family. Was a teacher of children with special needs. Joined the left movement in USA during Viatnam War. Became CITU whole timer in 1978 and was Treasurer of Delhi State CITU.Worked with women’s movement also and is a CEC member of AIDWA. Joined the CITU Centre in 1998. Working Editor of “The Voice of the Working Woman”. From 1999, part of Co ordination Committee of Working Women. Was associated with Beedi Workers and now Convenor of ASHA Workers Coordination Committee. First woman Treasurer of CITU elected in 2010, 13th conference.

VICE PRESIDENTS

1. SUKOMAL SEN                     
2. K.L. BAJAJ
3. SHYAMAL CHAKRABORTY
4. BASUDEB ACHARIA
5. A. SOUNDARARAJAN
6. K.O. HABEEB
7. MERCYKUTTY AMMA
8. ANATHALAVATTOM ANANDAN
9. DEBEN BHATTACHARYA
10. MALATHI CHITTIBABU
11. J. S. MAJUMDAR
12. P. ROJA
13. M. SAIBABU
14. RAGHUNATH SINGH
15. BISHNU MOHANTY

SECRETARIES

1. S.DEVROYE
2. K. HEMALATA
3. MANIK DEY
4. R. SUDHA BHASKAR
5. K.K. DIVAKARAN
6. E.KARIM
7. DIPAK DASGUPTA
8. S.VARALAXMI
9. PRASANTA NANDI CHOWDHURY
10. KASHMIR SINGH THAKUR
11. RATNA DUTTA
12. G.SUKUMARAN
13. S. PRASANNA KUMAR
14. P. NANDA KUMAR
15. D. RAMANANDAN
16. A.R. SINDHU
17. VACANT

CITU Conference expresses solidarity with fighting people in WB

N.S.Sajith

Dr. M K Pandhe Nagar (Kannur); April 5, 2013: Condemning the attack on the trade union movement and democratic rights of the people in West Bengal by the TMC-led government, the 14 the conference of CITU being held in Kannur has called the people to build resistance through broader class mobilisation and in alliance with other mass organisations and democratic sections. The conference also expressed the solidarity with the fighting people of West Bengal. A resolution moved by Elamaram Kareem, General Secretary of CITU Kerala state, has said that the West Bengal government is pursuing the neo-liberal economic policies of the ruling classes aided and abetted by the imperialist forces; and the ruling party goons.

“Violent physical attacks are perpetrated on trade unions, particularly targeting CITU, on the organisations of peasants, students, youths and women, on Left supporters, and on democratic institutions and expressions of the people by the armed TMC hoodlums creating a reign of terror. Till date, 88 leading functionaries of democratic movement, including six from the trade unions, have been killed. Hundreds of people have been injured. The police either remain silent spectators or act at the behest of the ruling party.
Around 400 union offices have been forcibly captured, hundreds were burnt and ransacked. Workers are being terrorised to desert CITU and join TMC unions. Contract workers are being thrown out of jobs and replaced by new workers with reduced wages in connivance with the contractors.
 

During the last two general strikes, on 28th February 2012 and 20-21 February 2013, police, administration and TMC goons were mobilised to break the strike including unprecedentedly deploying police for miking.
 

The chief minister personally supervised the strike breaking operations moving around on the streets encouraging TMC hoodlums who continued the attacks on workers even after the strike. They went on slapping senior teachers, cutting the limbs of an employee, damaging the eyes of a brick kiln worker, ransacking the BSNL office for remaining closed on the strike days.
 

This conference welcomes the united move of all the central trade unions in West Bengal in condemning such attacks, submitting joint memorandum to the chief secretary of the state government and in staging joint demonstration on 7th March 2013.
 

 In many places, tenant peasants are forced to leave their land and the former landlords and jotedars are trying to gain control over the land with the help of the TMC goons and the administration. Peasants are being deprived of minimum support price and remunerative prices forcing several peasants to commit suicide, which never happened during the Left Front rule. The state government is procuring rice through the rice mill owners and private agencies, compelling the farmers to make distress sale.
 

 This conference notes with grave concern about large number working and retired workers of state transport corporation and 3 tea garden workers committing suicide for non payment of salaries and pensions, exposing the anti-worker and inhuman attitude of the TMC government.
 

 Cold blooded murder of SFI leader Sudipta Gupta; pre-planned and gruesome murder of an on-duty police officer; arrest and torture of an university professor for forwarding a cartoon; rapidly increasing the number of atrocities against women, including rape; burning and eviction of the poor from their houses and lands; etc expose the true character of an authoritarian rule and fascistic terror unleashed by TMC government.
 

 The pro-people changes in the economic, democratic, administrative, social, educational, cultural institutions during the 34 years’ of Left Front rule are now under attack in West Bengal. Elections to the college students’ unions, school-committees, and cooperative societies are being rigged in most of the places through violence by TMC goons with the backing of the police and the administration. The benefits and rights of the people are sought to be reversed. Such attacks on the Left forces, trade unions, kisan sabha and other class and mass organisations are designed for such right wing reversal. These will have a bearing on the rights of the toiling people in the entire country. Such a situation bears ominous portent for democracy.
 

 This conference congratulates the trade union and democratic movement of West Bengal for their heroic resistance to such onslaughts braving all atrocities and making immense sacrifices.  The Conference also calls upon the working class and democratic forces of the country to raise their voice to vociferously condemn such attacks on the trade union movement, resolution said.

Angry protest by SFI in Delhi

Delhi state committee of the Students Federation  of India  hold an angry protest at Banga Bhvan againt the cold blooded  murder of Comrade  Sudipto Gupta,.They were  joined by  DYFI ,JMS and other mass organisations.

While Sitaram Yechury addressed the meeting. Among those who were present were, Jogendera Sharma member of  CPI(M) secretaiat, Pushpendra Grewal state secretary of  Delhi party,  B  Balagopal CPI(M)  MP and M B Rajesh MP  DYFI President,  Nurul Hooda and Bijoo Krishana (AIKS),  Vijay Prasad, NK Sharma, Sudhanva Despande, Rajndra Prasad. etc. Sunand CEC member  of SFI.,  JMS leader Sonia Verma, as well the JNUSU representatives were also presentetc

Banga Bhavan was never protected by so  many police personnel.,  Hundreds of protesters assembled  in the Barakhama  Road side of Hailey Road and marched  towards Banga Bhavan carrying SFI flags and  placards  decrying the incidents and  raisng  slogans. They broke the  barricades, as well as the locked gates. Angry protesters sloganeered inside the building for more than  half and hours shouting slogans before  coming out  after which  a public meeting was organised.

Sitram Yechuy MP  who was also All India President  of SFI  said that as  Com.  Sudpito was killed in the police custody, which means the police is responsible  for it, that means the government is responsible. He demanded  immediate constiution of a  judicial enquiry   to look into the matter. He said this  incident was  not a one off  case of police brutality , rather it shows the deterioration of law and order, and the continous assault on democracy and democratic institutions in last two years, since the Mamata bannerkjee  led government came to power in the state.  There  have been more  than 600 instances of attacks on elected students  unions and students activites.
He said   the incidents of the  killing of  a  SFI  leader reminds us of the 1972 semi fascists terror  in West Bengal  which was followed  taking away of democratic rights of the people  in the form of emergency all over the country.
In this present situation prevailing in the countrry, it is important for us to realise, that as gradually  it is a  going on the way of repeat of 1972 semi fascist terror is West Bengal, what will follow in the entire country , one should ponder.
He said protest will continue , come what may.

Law and Order Situation is Deteriorating due to Chief Minister: Biman Basu

By making off hand comments, the Chief Minister herself is actively responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation of the State. The Chief Minister along with his Ministers should stop making comments before investigations are done in different cases for establishing the rule of law in the State. Biman Basu, the Chairman of Left Front and Secretary of CPI(M) West Bengal State Committee, said this on 3rd April.
On the way to Writers’ Building Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went to SSKM Hospital on that day. But she did not visit the place where post mortem of departed student leader Sudipta Gupta was taking place. She decided to return from the mid way. On the way while talking to reporters she tried to establish the accident theory and told that the death of Sudipta has taken place by being hit on the Lamp Post. Later when reporters questioned Biman Basu about it he said Chief Minister did the right thing by visiting the hospital today. But when the whole state was agitated due to the death of student leader Sudipta Gupta in Police custody, she was in Yuba Bharati Krirangan enjoying an entertainment show. So she could not manage to find out time. It is nice of her to visit the hospital today.
Biman Basu further said that she has not done the right thing by saying the cause of the death to be accident before investigation. If she makes such comment in beforehand, is there any scope for investigation? Especially the Chief Minister herself is the Home Minister. Then no departmental enquiry will take place. Chief Minister’s comment will only be stamped. By making beforehand comments like this the Chief Minister herself is taking part in the deterioration of the law and order situation in the state. In which direction is the State moving?
Biman Basu also informed that on 2nd April after returning from SSKM Left Front leadership sat in a meeting and decided to demand for a judicial enquiry. He said the people of Bengal want to know how a young 23 year old vibrant boy died in this way. People can’t accept it. He demanded things to be scrutinized thoroughly and impartially, which is possible only through judicial enquiry. He said, we have heard about the details of the death from eye witnesses. After the students were arrested from the Law Breaking programme the bus was stopped in the Red Road and the students were asked to get down from the bus. As the students were not willing to get down, they were pushed and hurled from the bus. They surrounded the bus and said when they have been arrested they have to be taken to the jail. It is also known that at this time the students were thrashed mercilessly and even were kicked from the back. Biman Basu said after being arrested such incidence of being beaten up in prison van is unprecedented. He said the whole incident has been recorded in the close circuit TV of Presidency Jail. Let it be seen what is there. In another question he said that the driver and the helper of the bus have been arrested only to prove it is an accident. Though the on- duty police should have been arrested as Sudipta lay for a long time after being injured. Why Trauma ambulance was not kept?
By mentioning the participation of innumerable students and common people in the funeral procession of Sudipta, Biman Basu said, it is pathetic that such a young boy had to die. The participation of the people is its reflection. He said from his father we came to know that Sudipta used to study late till 1.30 in the night to enrich him. He also tried to reanimate others even who were reluctant to protest.
Biman Basu also said that the Left Front will be organising protest rallies throughout the state on 4th April evening. In all the 19 districts rallies will be held. In some districts rallies were taken out on 2nd and 3rd April as spontaneous reaction. They will also take part in the protest rallies. He informed that the Kolkata District Left Front has convened 12 hour general strike on 4th April in Tollygunge-Dhakuria-Garia region where Sudipta Gupta used to live and carried out his political activities. The Kolkata District Left Front will also bring out protest rally from Garia to Netaji Nagar at 5 p.m. on the same day.
The Left Students’ Organisations have called for a state wide Students Strike on 4th April. The Left Youth Organisations will also take part in road blockade from 11 to 11.15 a.m. on the same day.

Stop Indo-EU Free Trade Agreement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:


The Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses deep concern that negotiations on the Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) between the European Union and India, has proceeded without any due scrutiny by Parliament or other democratic institutions. We understand that there is a move to conclude the negotiations by the middle of April.

The FTA with the European Union is the most ambitious and comprehensive of all FTAs that India is negotiating or has signed. Its impact on the economic and social fabric of the country could well be deep and long lasting. The agreement is likely to worsen the already burgeoning current account deficit and trade deficit. Evidence from trade agreements that India has already entered clearly indicate that they further worsen the country’s trade deficit. For example, in the case of the agreement with Singapore a trade surplus was rapidly converted into a deficit after the signing of the FTA.

The intellectual property, investment and government procurement chapters of the agreement will have a negative impact on virtually every area of economic activity -- including agriculture, industry and services. Higher standards of intellectual property protection will have a negative impact on health services; strong investor protection mechanisms will undermine the government’s ability to regulate industrial and financial corporations in national interest; and the opening up of government procurement to foreign firms will undermine even the minimal social protection measures in place, such as the public distribution system. The agriculture sector is likely to be particularly affected by the dumping of subsidized agricultural products from the EU.

Several sections representing different sectors of the economy have already articulated serious concerns about the impact of the FTA. The automobile industry is likely to be seriously affected. Amul, India’s largest milk cooperative, has similarly expressed concern regarding the impact of subsidized dairy imports from the EU that can jeopardize the livelihood of 80 million farmers in India.

Claims that the FTA will open up additional markets for Indian exporters are unsubstantiated and are not, in any case, going to compensate for the expected surge in imports. The EU can be expected to continue with its strategic use of subsidies and non tariff barriers to prevent entry of Indian exports.

The CPI(M) is particularly concerned that the entire negotiating process has been non-transparent, with a total lack of public consultation with affected sections, parliamentary oversight, or the involvement of state governments. Despite repeated expressions of concern by political parties including the CPI(M), the government has moved forward with the process, shunning even a modicum of effort to arrive at a political consensus on the issue. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce is examining the impact of FTAs but the government’s determination to sign the EU-India BTIA without waiting for the Committee’s report betrays a shocking disregard for parliamentary democratic institutions.
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The CPI(M) demands that the government should not conclude the negotiations at this stage and should instead:
• wait for the Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee;
• conduct a parliamentary debate on the issue;
• hold public consultations with all affected groups;
• share the texts of the current negotiating process and conduct, on their basis, impact assessment studies.

CITU All India Conference Begins in Kannur

Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Charmian of Reception committee hoists the red flag in C Kannan Nagar(Municipal Stadium and the venue of public meeting) on the eve of 14th All India Conference of CITU. CITU president A K Padmanabhan, general secretary Tapan Sen are also see

All India conference of India’s most powerful trade union, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, is set to begin at Kannur tomorrow. CITU president A K Padmanabhan will hoist the red flag in morning at Com. M K Pandhe Nagar(Police Maidana) in Kannur town and his presidential address in Dipankar Mukherjee Nagar, will be followed to mark the commencement of the conference. General Secretary Tapan Sen will present the report before the 2000 delegates. The conference will culminate on 8^th April with a massive rally of workers in Kannur district. Delegates from all states have reached in Kannur by Wednesday evening.

 The flag march led by CITU state president Anathalavattam Anandan, the torch relay led by K M Sudhakaran, and flag pole march led by M M Lawrence have converged in AKG square and three jathas jointly moved to Com. C Kannan Nagar (Municipal stadium),  the venue of public meeting. The flag march was started from Valiya Chudukad, in Alappuzha, where the martyrs of Punnapra-Vayalar were cremated. The flag pole march started from Kayyur, in Kasargode district and the torch relay started from Thillankeri in Kannur district. In C Kannan Nagar, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Chairman of reception Committee hoisted the red flag.
 CITU which gathered a massive impetus through the February 20, 21 All India strike will focus on the strengthening of Trade Union unity in the run up for widening struggles to coerce the central government to revoke the anti-people neo liberal policies. While elaborating the structure of the conference, General Secretary Tapan Sen said that the immediate responsibility of CITU is to spread the message of All India strike among the workers and people.
 Ten crores people including workers, farmers, and agricultural workers took part in the All India strike called by India working class movement. It can be analyzed that the working class movement has reached into new phase of growth. Disregarding the political affiliations other central trade unions like INTUC, and BMS also actively took part in the strike. The warnings of working class were disregarded by the Prime Minister who keeps on pouring concessions to the corporate houses. Finance Minister P Chidambaram too avoided the suggestions of working class while presenting budget.  Trade union leaders will meet in Delhi on May 3^rd to plan the future course of action.

 While presenting the outline of the deliberations to be taken place, Tapan Sen said that our thrust will be on democratic functioning of organization, how to tackle the social issues like divisive and communal agenda, changing scenario in the labor force and how to fight the policies of the central government. On April 7^th delegates will discuss commission papers based on this four pronged agenda.

  Contract labor issue will also be discussed. Permanent jobs are decreasing in India as the strength of temporary workers in the total work force reaches 70-80 percent.

 While replying a query on sustainability of Trade Union unity, Sen said that the unity is not formed recently and for the last four years all TU’s are jointly organize the struggles. This achievement was come true with the hard work of two decades. The unity is not only shown in the national leadership level but among the factory level. Ordinary workers also want to be united, he said.

 A K Padmanabhan, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Reception Committee General Convenor K P Sahadevan, CITU state General Secretary Elamaram Kareem were also present in the press conference.

Thousands Join in Funeral Rally of SFI Leader in Kolkata

 

Thousands of protestors joined in the funeral rally of Comrade Sudipta Gupta, SFI leader who was killed on Tuesday in police brutality. SFI leader’s body was taken to his home and his former college in Netaji Nagar in south Kolkata after post mortem. Then the body was taken to SFI state office in A. J. C. Bose Road where hundreds of students, youth and people from all walks of life were waiting for hours. Left leaders including Biman Basu, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Surjya Kanta Mishra, Ashoke Ghosh paid their tributes to the departed young comrades. Amidst slogans, student activists vowed to continue their fight against the authoritarian State Government. A huge rally then marched towards the crematorium.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had gone to the SSKM Hospital on Wednesday where Gupta succumbed to his injuries but instead of criticizing the police action, she said that it was an accident and that many supporters of her own party were also killed while travelling on train roof. She instantly faced protest from the SFI supporters after making the statement and the latter alleged that the CM guarded the police department and there was little chance that the guilty would be punished.
The family of the slain student leader refused to accept help from the chief minister. "We are not beggars," said Gupta's emotional father.
West Bengal witnessed another gruesome attack on democratic rights which cost this young life. SFI leader Sudipta Gupta was killed in a brutal police attack on SFI activists in Kolkata on 2nd April. A member of SFI West Bengal state committee, Sudipta was brutally beaten after arrest and died on his way to jail in police custody. He was 23, just completed his MA in Political Science from Rabindra Bharati University. Sudipta was a frontline organizer, a member of Kolkata district secretariat of SFI, popular among students and friends, with a skilled voice of singing.
Four Left students’ organizations called for a law breaking programme to protest the draconian decision of the State Government banning all students’ union elections in the state. Thousands of students marched from College Street and assembled in Rani Rasmoni Road in Kolkata and expressed their anger against the Government action. They moved forward defying police lathicharge. Hundreads were arrested and taken into private buses under police custody. They were taken to Alipore Jail. On the way to jail, police started to beat the arrested SFI activists in a bus. Some of the SFI activists fell from the bus, Sudipta being one of them. He was grievously injured bur was not spared by police. According to eye witnesses, Sudipta was beaten even after he fell down from the bus. Sudipta suffered a serious head injury. In fact he was so roughly beaten that his head and face were fractured severely. SFI activists rescued him and police put the injured SFI leader in a police jeep. The jeep brought him to SSKM hospital but after delaying for about 15minutes. He was admitted in the hospital but expired after few hours.
Many other SFI activists suffered injuries. The right hand of Sheikh Jogesh Hossain of Murshidabad was badly injured and he has undergone an emergency operation in Kolkata medical College Hospital.
Kolkata police, in a surprise action, called a press conference even before Sudipta’s death and offered the theory of ‘accident’. According to them Sudipta hit a lamppost while in bus. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee legitimized this police version even after SFI registered a formal complaint against the police.
This brutal attack caused an outrage throughout the state. SFI and other left students organizations hold demonstration and processions throughout the state. Thousands participated in the funeral rally of the departed comrade. A statewide students strike was observed on 4th April. Teachers’ organizations condemned the killing.
Meanwhile, Left Front demanded a judicial enquiry of the incident. Left Front called a strike in southern parts of Kolkata, where Sudipta lived on 4th April.
Sudipta Gupta is 93rd martyr of the left movement in West Bengal after TMC Government came into power.

CPIM condems Killing of Student Leader in West Bengal

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the killing of a student leader, Sudipta Gupta, under police custody, in Kolkata. Along with a large number of students, Sudipta, a leader of the Students Federation of India, was protesting demanding holding of college union elections in the state, which the Trinamul Congress state government has been thwarting. The protest action took place with prior police permission. When the students were arrested and were under police custody, Sudipta was killed.

West Bengal LF appeals to Governor to solve panchayat poll impasse

Accusing ruling Trinamool Congress of hatching a conspiracy to delay panchayat polls, the Opposition Left Front today met Governor M K Narayanan seeking his intervention to end the stand off between West Bengal government and State Election Commission over the elections.

"We met the Governor and appealed to him to intervene and start a conciliatory approach in solving the problem because we want panchayat elections to be held on time," Left Front chairman Biman Bose told reporters after the meeting.

Bose accused the Trinamool Congress of hatching the  pre-planned conspiracy and forcing the SEC to look for legal recourse and claimed that all ministers were not aware of it.
Only Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee and Trinamool Congress General Secretary Mukul Roy were party to it, he said.

"Mukherjee was given the duty of creating confusion by triggering a tiff with the SEC. Roy was given the duty of defending the ruling party's image in the public," Bose alleged, adding that the Trinamool is trying to buy time by delaying the process of the grass root polls.

"The government doesn't have any achievements to showcase. And, the Trinamool is plagued by infighting and factional feud, so it is trying to buy time before the panchayat polls to tackle those problems," he said.

Bose claimed that after the end of present rural bodies' tenure, they will stop getting funds for development schemes from the Centre.

Asked whether the LF will explore legal options over the stalemate, Bose said, "We have not discussed the matter."  The state government and the SEC have locked horns over the schedule of the polls.

While the state government has announced that the elections will be held in two phases under supervision of the state police, the SEC has proposed that the polls be held in three phases under supervision of central forces.

Death of Comrade Sudipto will not go in vain! Intensify the struggle against Mamta Banerjee’s authoritarian rule in West Bengal!

Central Executive committee of the Students’ Federation of India dips its banner in the memory of Comrade Sudipto Gupta, a state committee member of the West Bengal State committee, who succumbed to fatal injuries today, while a protest in Kolkata was severely lathicharged by the police. The brutality was so severe that even his eyeballs came out. This incident brought back the haunting memories of the Bidhan Chandra Roy’s regime when police used such brutal measures against the protesters. The death of the brave, young 23 year old boy speaks volumes about the state of democracy in West Bengal under the Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee’s regime.

This protest was called by the 4 left students’ organizations against the series of moves by the state government which seek to curb campus democracy, the most retrograde of which plans to limit the students’ union elections to once every 2 years. What really made the ruling masters fear to this extent that they had to cut short this young life? History has all the answers. Even during the regime of semi-fascist terror of the 1970s, the campuses of West Bengal were the dens of resistance. Today when Mamta Banerjee is leaving no stone unturned to again take back Bengal to that dark period of terror, it is again from the campuses that the voices of resistances are picking up and joining with those struggling outside. Be it the curb on campus democracy or the cold blooded murder of Sudipto Gupta- everything reflects this fear. But, let it be made clear that the martyrhood of our brave comrade shall not go in vain. In the coming days the struggle against the authoritarian regime of Mamta Banerjee shall become sharper and sharper.

The Central Executive of the Students’ Federation of India calls for an All India Protest day on 4th April across the campuses and units of the country against this heinous attack on the democratic rights, when the students of West Bengal will go for a massive statewide strike.