Naxalbari Uprising
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The Naxalbari uprising was an armed peasant revolt in 1967 in the
Naxalbari Naxalbari ( Bengali: ''Nôkśālbāṛi'', ; also spelled Naksalbari) is a village in the Naxalbari CD block in the Siliguri subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. Naxalbari is known for being the site of ...
block of Siliguri subdivision in
Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...
district, West Bengal, India. It was mainly led by tribals and the radical communist leaders of Bengal and further developed into the
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (CPI(ML)) was an Indian communist party formed by the All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (AICCCR) at a congress in Calcutta in 1969. The foundation of the party wa ...
in 1969. The armed struggle led to the birth of Naxalism and the beginning of the
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency The Naxalite–Maoist insurgency is an ongoing conflict between the Indian government and Left-wing terrorism, left-wing extremist groups. The Naxalites are a group of communist groups, who follow Maoist political sentiment and ideology, and c ...
, which rapidly spread from
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
to other states of India, and continues to this day.


Origins

The uprising occurred during the height of the
Sino-Soviet split The Sino-Soviet split was the gradual worsening of relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) during the Cold War. This was primarily caused by divergences that arose from their ...
, which was causing turmoil within the communist organisations in India and the rest of the world. The leader and ideologue of the uprising
Charu Majumdar Charu Majumdar (15 May 1918 – 28 July 1972) was an Indian communist leader, and founder and General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). Born into a progressive landlord family in Siliguri in 1918, he became a Commun ...
theorised that the situation was appropriate for launching an armed
People's war People's war or protracted people's war is a Maoist military strategy. First developed by the Chinese communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong (1893–1976), the basic concept behind people's war is to maintain the support of the population ...
in India following the
Chinese Communist Revolution The Chinese Communist Revolution was a social revolution, social and political revolution in China that began in 1927 and culminated with the proclamation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The revolution was led by the Chinese C ...
,
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
and
Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
. Charu Majumdar wrote the Historic Eight Documents which became the foundation of the Naxalite movement in 1967.


Timeline

The communists in 1965-66 already controlled territory in the Naxalbari region. The so-called "Siliguri group" called for initiating an armed struggle, which started the uprising. Many peasant cells were created throughout the region. On 3 March 1967 just a day after the united front had sworn in ministers in West Bengal, some 150 peasants armed with bows and spears, took 300 maunds of paddy or around 11000 kg of paddy and started seizing land. The peasants were enraged that the
Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...
(CPI(M)) did not retain workers in the party. By 18 March the peasants started seizing land from jotedars (landlords who owned large plots of land in the region). Peasant committees were set up throughout the region within four months. The first clash occurred between the peasants and landlords when a share-cropper, Bigul Kisan, was beaten up by landlord gentries. Following this, peasant committees seized land, foodgrains and arms from the landlord gentries, leading to violent clashes. The government started mobilizing the police forces to deal with the uprising. The inspector of Jharugaon village was killed by peasant committee members. In retaliation, the police opened fire which resulted in the death of nine women and one child on 25 May 1967. By June the peasant committees gained hold in the regions around Naxalbari, Kharibari and Phansidewa seizing lands, ammunition and food grains from the jotedars. The tea garden workers around the Darjeeling region participated in strikes supporting the peasant committees. The upheaval sustained till 19 July when the paramilitary forces were sent by the government. Leaders like
Jangal Santhal Jangal Santhal, also known as Jangal Santal (1925 – 4 December 1988) was an Indian political activist. He was from Hatighisa village, Darjeeling district in north West Bengal, was one of the founders of the Naxalite movement (along with Charu ...
were arrested. Some of them like
Charu Majumdar Charu Majumdar (15 May 1918 – 28 July 1972) was an Indian communist leader, and founder and General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). Born into a progressive landlord family in Siliguri in 1918, he became a Commun ...
went underground. And others like Tribheni Kanu, Sobham, Ali Gorkha Majhi, and Tilka Majhi were killed.


Recognition and aftermath

The relations between the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
(CCP) with the CPI(M) deteriorated following CCP's support of the uprising. Many members of the CPI(M) who supported the uprising were expelled, such as
Charu Majumdar Charu Majumdar (15 May 1918 – 28 July 1972) was an Indian communist leader, and founder and General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). Born into a progressive landlord family in Siliguri in 1918, he became a Commun ...
,
Souren Bose Souren Bose (25 June 1924 – 17 August 1997) was one of the founders of the Naxalite movement in India and an influential figure in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). At the congress of the CPI(M) in 1967 he questioned the absenc ...
, Mahadeb Mukherjee and Dilip Bagchi. Expelled communists later on organised themselves into one organisation, the All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (AICCCR), which later developed into the CPI(ML). CPI(ML) remained the centre of the Naxalite movement till 1975. A large number of enthusiastic youth joined the movement. Although the uprising was suppressed, it remained a landmark in Indian politics which led to several other similar kind of movements in parts of Bihar and began the ongoing
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency The Naxalite–Maoist insurgency is an ongoing conflict between the Indian government and Left-wing terrorism, left-wing extremist groups. The Naxalites are a group of communist groups, who follow Maoist political sentiment and ideology, and c ...
.


See also

* Kucheipadar tribal movement * 1970 Bhojpur uprising * Lal Sena * Srikakulam peasant uprising


References

{{Naxalite-Maoist insurgency Communist rebellions Land rights movements Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Peasant revolts Political uprisings in India Rebellions in India Riots and civil disorder in West Bengal 1967 in Indian politics 1960s in West Bengal