Hang Him

He says he wants bread and clothes
Not only that, he wants justice too
On top of that he wants genuine freedom too
Hang him

He says he wants regular work
Not only work, he wants the fruits of his work
And then he even wants untrammelled possession of both work and fruits
Hang him

He says he doesn’t want empty speeches
Nor false promises, violent rule
Nor a false democratic throne erected on
The burning breasts of hungry and naked people
Hang him

He says he will march with everyone
Will change the system founded on oppression
He’s no doubt allied with some foreign force
He will get just desserts for his treachery without delay
Come, patriotic executioners!
Trustworthy pawns of capital!
Hang him

– Gorakh Pande, 1978
(On peasant revolutionaries Kista Gowd and Bhoomiah being given the death sentence)