NK's Post

The Statesman: Wages Of Trade Unionism

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NK SINGH The current labour trouble in the Delhi office of The Statesman has more than meets the eye. On the surface, it seems to be a simple case of labour-management scuffle plus intra-union rivalry. A closer look, however, shows that it is an instance of the rapprochement between the government and the industrial owners of newspapers- Tatas, Martin Burn and Andrew Yule in this case at the top and the understanding between the management and the unscrupulous labour leaders the CPI in this case at the level of labour relations. Further, it symbolises the wages of trade unionism. The entire concept of trade unionism has changed recently instead of fulfilling the dual role of providing temporary relief to workers and intensifying the class struggle it has become a tool in the hands of the exploiting classes for disrupting the solidarity of the working classes and diverting their struggle towards petty economic gains.  Consequently, a whole class of unscrupulous labour Meaders has, o...
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Echoes of Aggression

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NK SINGH

Not allowed to marry her lover-boy-next-door and forcibly married to someone else against her will, Prabha, a 14 year Harijan girl of Bhagalpur quietly slipped out of her house one night in utter disgust and Frustration, That was on February 6, 1973. When she was rescued by the police from a ghetto in the same town some nine months later, on October 20, she had a shocking tale to tell.

In her hair-raising account, the poor girl narrated recently to a local magistrate the circumstances in which she had fallen prey to the lust of some wealthy businessmen in the town. During the last nine months, she said, she was criminally assaulted several times by a large number of people including some big businessmen and traders of Bhagalpur, whom she named openly in her statement. She said she was tortured and forced to lead a prostitute's life by them.

The girl's medical examination confirmed that she was a minor girl of about 14-16 and was subjected to frequent sexual assaults.

Prabha's father Bateshwar Das, a postman of the Bhagalpur city post office, had reported to the police regarding the missing of his daughter on February 6. Now that the case has taken quite a new turn- it is no longer a missing girl story the police had to lodge a fresh case under Sections 363 and 372 IPC.

In her statement recorded under Section 164 Cr. P.C. before First Class Magistrate Indradeo Singh, Prabha narrated how on that fateful night she was picked up by some local toughs as soon as she stepped out of her house, and was taken to a nearby village, Lashedia.

After a few days, a big businessman from Bhagalpur came to the village, took her out in a car and raped her, Pracha has alleged. This practice continued subsequently and she became a victim of the lust of other bigwigs of the town, whom she has named in her affidavit.

Prabha said she could recognise the car and the gentlemen concerned. Later on, the poor girl was brought to a house of ill-fame in Massakchak mohalla of Bhagalpur town where she was forced to lead a prostitute's life, Her nightmare ended only when she was rescued by the police, hitherto working on a simple 'missing' girl case, nine months later. 

Since the victim is so small and poor-daughter of a Harijan postman and the people involved in the crime so big, rich and "prestigious" they may be wielding political influence as well one cannot help wondering if the police can be depended upon for a fair trial in this case. 

The Government should entrust the case to the CBI, which may also try to find out how many more Prabhas has been subjected to this treatment by these "prestigious" criminal.

Current

December 1973




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