India – RSF Condemns the Arrest of Anti-eviction Protesters
We hereby share an unofficial translation of a statement issued by the Revolutionary Students’ Front (RSF) on the 21st of May.
Revolutionary Student Front (RSF) statement against the fascist arrest of people affected by ‘bulldozer’ evictions, including Faridul Islam
Since seizing power, the Brahmanical Hindutva fascist RSS-BJP ‘double engine’ government has established ‘bulldozer raj’ in an undemocratic fascist manner throughout the State. The residences, workplaces and especially street peddlers are being evicted by labeling them as ‘illegal’. The main target of which is of course the Muslim minority people. Although the Supreme Court has termed this ‘bulldozer raj’ as unconstitutional and illegal, today it has become a weapon of fascism throughout the State. On May 17, the fascist forces came to demolish the settlements in the Park Circus area with the help of the police and military, calling them ‘illegal constructions’. Naturally, the local people put up resistance. To end the public resistance, the State forces charged at, and arrested protesters. On Monday, mass movement activist Faridul Islam was arrested in the Park Circus attack. Faridul had been working to agitate against the fascist agenda of implementing NRC in the name of SIR for a long time. Besides him, more than fifty protesters from the area have also been arrested.
The RSS-BJP government is rushing to implement their pre-planned fascist agenda in the State. Earlier, the story of ‘Rohingyas all over Bengal’ could be heard from the mouth of Shuvendu Adhikari. Currently, under his Chief Ministership, the struggle of the people resisting Park Circus is being described as a ‘gathering of traitors’. All this is a fascist attempt to make the minority people, stateless. This incident is the initial step to take away all the civil rights of the people and a rehearsal for the next activities. Along with this, it is also an attempt to legitimize their agenda by showing the ongoing mass resistance as negative. The Indian ruling classes, agents of imperialist power, is thus eager to prepare a stock of cheap labor for the benefit of its masters. On the one hand, the fascist government wants to complete its NRC agenda by using various state institutions. The CAA, 2019 has already been implemented in the State. On the other hand, to do all this without any hindrance, they have started attacking all opposition, democratic organizations and individuals on the pretext of maintaining ‘law and order’ in the State.
The Revolutionary Students Front (RSF) demands the immediate and unconditional release of every arrested protester including Faridul Islam. The government must make arrangements for rehabilitation and employment for every affected family. The ‘bulldozer raj’ must be stopped immediately. Stop the evil attempt to implement NRC across the state. Strongly oppose the fascist attempt to mislead the people and make them stateless by implementing the discriminatory CAA 2019 in West Bengal. All democratic, anti-fascist, progressive, leftist organizations and individuals in the State must unite at this moment and build a militant mass movement against the fascist activities of the BJP government based on the above demands.
