
On January 3, NIA Ranchi interrogated Baccha Singh in case FIR Number RC-03/2023/NIA/RNC and later arrested him.
Baccha Singh was earlier targeted and fabricated in another “Conspiracy Case” when his house was raided by NIA on May 2, 2023 along with other activists, including jailed Journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh’s house in which, phone and other devices of his life partner Ipsa Shatakshi were seized.
Baccha Singh is a well-established Trade Union Activist based in the Bokaro Industrial Area in Jharkhand. He is former General Secretary of Registered trade union – Majdoor Sangthan Samiti (MSS) since 1989, banned for the second time by the Jharkhand Government in August 2023. Colonial era Criminal Law Amendment Act (CLA) 1908, under which the ban has been imposed, empowers the state government to declare an organization “unlawful” if the government in its “opinion” believes that the organization “interferes or has for its objective interference in administration of law and maintenance of law and order or constitutes danger to public peace.” This particular “conspiracy case” (RC-03/2023/NIA/RNC) is yet another example of stage managed case pertaining to an alleged conspiracy to collect fund and recruit members in order to revive Maoist party in Bihar-Jharkhand region.
Majdoor Sangathan Samiti and Bachha Prasad have been a victim of the state’s assault for organising the working class for a considerable period. In December 2017, the Jharkhand Government banned MSS, sealed its organisational office and a small medical clinic run by MSS with the contribution of workers. The justification given for the ban was that they were functioning as a front organisation of the Maoists and were commemorating the fifty years of Naxalbari, and had invited famous poet Varavara Rao. In February 2022, the Ranchi High court lifted the ban from MSS and said “The State Government has not submitted any such evidence, according to which the MSS could be considered as an ally organisation of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). Also, they have never been reported to have been involved in any kind of terrorist or unlawful activities that could cause anarchy.”
The reason behind the consistent targeting of MSS and Bachha Singh is that MSS waged a consistent struggle in the last three decades in organizing contract workers in the coal mines of Dhanbad, Giridih and Bokaro. It waged a struggle to bring on a common platform thousands of “doli mazdoors” in Madhuban, whose services are used by Jain pilgrims visiting the hilltop Parasnath temple. They have also been trying to wedge the gap between contract and regular workers and establish unity among them. The recent action is part and parcel of a series of “conspiracy cases” to break the backbone of Anti-displacement, Labour, Farmer and Student activists to intimidate ,by imprisoning them without material evidence, with the objective of crushing the people’s aspirations for a just and better society. Governments in power have used bans to criminalise opposition and dissent, and the state government’s ban on the MSS, , raising legitimate and basic demands of workers, manifests this character. It is part of a larger objective to trample upon those who dare to resist the Jharkhand government’s anti-people policies.
Committee against state repression demanded immediate release of Trade Union Leader leader Baccha Singh and revocation of illegal Ban imposed on MSS, a Registered Trade Union. Genuine democrats the policy of banning organizations, because once an organization is banned, the conditions of the ban can be used as a weapon to target activists even without committing any criminal offence.
Targeting Manish Azad
On January 5, Uttar Pradesh ATS arrested Political Activist, Poet and writer Manish Azad from his residence in Allahabad. Manish Azad has been a political activist for the last 3 decades,.Manish was founder president of Inqalabi Chhatra Sabha. He undertakes translation work for his livelihood. He was previously arrested in this same fabricated case by UP ATS in July 2019 and was released on bail after 8 months of incarceration. He has also been incriminated in another bogus FIR. His jail diary ‘Abbu ki nazar me jail’ was published in 2022.
It is worth mentioning that before his arrest for the second time in this fabricated case, after more than 4 years of securing bail, Manish’s framing was already proceeding when he was tagged in the bogus Lucknow Conspiracy Case pertaining to alleged conspiracy to resurrect the Maoist party in North Indian states. His house was raided along with residences of other activists across UP on September 5, 2024. Under this present FIR from 2019, UP ATS had also arrested Advocate Kripashankar Singh on March 5, 2024, along with his life partner Binda Sona.
Another activist Anita Azad was also arrested in the same case. Kripashankar was founder of Front Against Fascism and was an editor of its newsletter ‘Viruddh’ . Earlier, he was arrested in another fabricated case in 2010 and got bail after 5 years of incarceration
Manish Azad’s arrest manifested a larger crackdown on activists by Brahmanical Hindutva fascist BJP-RSS government all over India in the pretext of trapping Over Ground Workers (OGW) of communist party of India (Maoist). It is an attempt to suppress the democratic people’s movement for a just society.
Committee against State Repression strongly condemned the witch hunt and arrest of activist Manish Azad in trumped up charges under the pretext of national security and urban naxalism. It is the immediate need of the hour for the progressive and democratic organizations and individuals to unite and resist the consistent targeting of trade union leaders, farmer leaders, writers, poets, advocates, students, and other political activists.
Happily Manish Azad was given a reprieve, being given a personal bond to secure bail , last Thusday
Harsh Thakor is freelance journalist.