Construction Workers’ Demonstration in Jaipur
On August 13, a 2000-strong demonstration of unorganized sector construction workers, under the banner of Rajasthan Nirman Mazdoor Sangathan, marched through the streets of Jaipur and submitted a memorandum to the ADM. Traffic was completely paralysed on the Collectorate Road. Speakers raised the issue of abduction and harassment of a labour contractor and worker two months back. Despite the medical report confirming the accusation, the named culprit was not arrested. Leaders gave an ultimatum to gherao the Police Station on August 20 if the accused was not arrested. The main speakers at the protest were Comrades Mahendra Chaudhary, Harkesh Bugalia, Phul Chand Dhewa, Dr. Pavan Surana, ex-Chairman Women’s Commission, Kavita Srivastava of PUCL and others.
Nationwide Protests Against Indo-US Nuke Deal
On August 14, CPI(ML) held protests across the nation demanding scrapping of the Indo-US Nuke Deal. In Delhi, CPI(ML) burnt the effigy of the Nuke Deal at Parliament Street and held a Protest Meeting that was addressed by Comrade Swadesh Bhattacharya, PB member CPI(ML), Swapan Mukherkjee, General Secretary of AICCTU, Kumudini Pati, General Secretary of AIPWA and Ravi Rai, General Secretary of AISA.
Effigy burnings, street corner meetings, and protest marches were held at Patna and in all major cities of Bihar including Arwal, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Ara and Gaya; at Ranchi, Bokaro, Bagodar, Dhanbad and other centres in Jharkhand; Mansa and Ludhiana at Punjab; Gwalior and Bhind at MP; Karnal in Haryana, Jhunjhunu, Jaipur and Udaipur in Rajasthan; Bhilai in Chhattisgarh; Moradabad, Allahabad, Sonebhadra, Kanpur, Varanasi, Ambedkar Nagar in UP, and also a dharna at the Vidhan Sabha at Lucknow.
RYA Demonstration Against Fake Encounters in Gujarat
On 31 July the Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA) held a dharna and mass meeting at Gujarat Assembly in Ahmedabad in protest against the spate of fake encounter killings by the state police force in Modi’s Gujarat.
The police did its best to disallow the programme on many pretexts at the last minute but the protestors refused to back off, and succeeded in holding the protest. The dharna took place from 3 in the afternoon to 8 at night, and the mass meeting at the spot was heavily attended. RYA leaders Amit Patanwaria, Asmit, Nilesh Mittal and other addressed the gathering.
