Celebrating Lives of Martyrs Com. Ganganand Rai and Com. Bhaso Kunwar in Bachhwara, Bihar
The Legacy of Martyr Comrades Ganganand Rai, Bhaso Kunwar and Others Shall Live On!
Bihar has witnessed intense struggles against feudal landlords and oppressors. Peasants and agricultural workers have rallied under the red flag and fought for land rights, against evictions of Dalit agricultural workers and peasants as well as against criminal gangs. Over 200 comrades have sacrificed their lives in this struggle. Undeterred the struggle goes on. The red flag flutters high and gives hope as well as confidence to the toiling masses.
Bachhwara in Begusarai district has been a land of many struggles and sacrifices. Over a dozen comrades have been brutally killed in this region. Comrades Ganganand Rai, Bhaso Kunwar, Ghiyasuddin, Jogi Yadav, Dev Kumar Shah, Rampadarth Yadav, Ajay Choudhary, Jagdish Jha, Dev Narain Singh, Ramanand Rai and Ramshankar Jha were all killed amidst the struggles against feudal and casteist landlords as well as against the sand mafia. The latest addition to this list was Com.Ram Sagar Paswan who was killed in 2017.
Bachhwara has been celebrating the lives of Com. Ganganand Rai and Com. Bhaso Kunwar the last 10 days commemorating their martyrdom on 13th January (1981) and 23rd January (1997) respectively. Com. Ganganand Rai was a popular leader who built the youth movement and later Kisan Sabha in the region. Many of the present leaders of Kisan Sabha, CITU and CPI-M in the State joined the movement inspired by him. He had lost a hand in an attack by feudal landlords earlier but continued mobilising people against their oppression. He was killed on 13th January, 1981. Bhaso Kunwar was also in the forefront of struggles and seen as a threat by the feudal landlords as well as sand mafia. On 23rd January, 1997 as he was returning back arranging for milk and other provisions for a State level Party class attended by Com. S.R.Pillai and Com. N.K.Shukla he was hacked to death by goons. To this day people rallied under the red flag face attacks and threats from feudal landlords, criminal-police nexus. Bhaso Kunwar’s son Ramod Kunwar is carrying forward the fight along with numerous other comrades.
On 23rd January a massive procession marched across Bachhwara with Vijoo Krishnan, Joint Secretary, AIKS and Central Committee member of CPI-M, Rajendra Singh, Ex-MLA and Kisan Sabha leader and over 3000 participating in it. They paid tributes to statues of Com. Ganganand Rai and Com. Bhaso Kunwar. A massive public meeting was addressed by them as well as Com. Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, 95 year old leader of CPI-M and Kisan Sabha, Ram Pari, Vice President of AIDWA, leaders of CITU, AIAWU, DYFI etc.
The enthusiasm of the people, especially the youth is testimony to the growing strength of the movement and once again affirm that martyrs are not fallen trees, they are seeds sown.
