Statement on arrest of Com. Alik Chakraborty

by CPI/ML Red Star, 2 June 2018

Com. Alik Chakraborty, politburo member of the CPI (ML) Red Star, was arrested by the police of the State of West Bengal on Thursday. Com. Alik Chakraborty and his wife Com. Sharmishtha Choudhury have been leading the Bhangar movement against the 400 KV power grid lines just outside Kolkata. Com. Alik Chakraborty has been in the area of the movement and played a major role in leading the movement till now. He is the spokesperson of the “Jomi Jibika Bastutantra evam Poribesh Bachav Samiti” (Committee for Protection of Land, Livelihood, Ecology and Environment). In the recently held local body elections, this committee had wanted to contest 17 seats. However, aspiring candidates were threatened and even attacked with guns and bombs by the henchmen of the ruling party. Due to this the Committee approached the Bengal High Court and the court allowed them to file nominations by “Whatsapp”. Finally, the committee could file nominations in 8 seats. Out of these, in 3 seats, there was rampant booth capturing where the thugs of the ruling party filled the boxes with false votes. In the other 5 seats, the Committees candidates won with 90% of the votes polled.

                In this situation, Com. Alik had gone to the nearby city of Bhubaneshwar in the neighbouring state of Odisha to get specialised medical help. On Thursday, 31^st May 2018 he was arrested as he was in the queue outside the Kalinga Hospital in Bhubaneshwar. He was produced before a magistrate the next day who did not heed the committee’s advocate’s plea that he needed urgent hospitalisation and should not be moved back to Kolkata. On 1^st June the police flew him back to Kolkata and he will be produced before the Bengal courts for further remand. We are informed that 70 cases (all clearly concocted), have been foisted upon him.

                A movement has already developed all over the country for the immediate and unconditional release of Com. Alik. The people of Bhangor already took out a massive rally yesterday with women and children and blocked the roads. A massive rally is planned for Kolkata on 4^th June to call for his immediate and unconditional release which will be attended by all left and democratic parties’ representatives. We call upon all democratic and progressive forces all over the world to support this demand. You may kindly send your protest and your demand for his immediate and unconditional release to the Governor of the state of West Bengal at governor-wb@nic.in or to the Chief Minister of West Bengal at cm@wb.gov.in .  

K. N. Ramachandran

General Secretary, CPI (ML) Red Star