Kanu Sanyal

Kanu Sanyal, (1932[1] – 23 March 2010),[2] was an Indian communist politician. In 1967, he was one of the main leaders of the Naxalbari uprising and in 1969 he was one of the founding leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI (ML)).[3] Sanyal committed suicide on 23 March 2010.[4]

Kanu Sanyal
Kanu Sanyal
Born
Krishna Kumar Sanyal

1932 (1932)
Died23 March 2010(2010-03-23) (aged 77–78)
NationalityIndian
Known forLeader of CPI (ML)
Political partyCommunist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Class Struggle
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party of India

Formation and growth of CPI (ML)

Kanu Sanyal joined Communist politics, first as a member of CPI then CPI(M). He belonged to the Harmad class of the CPI(M). He announced the formation of the original CPI (ML) on Vladimir Lenin's birthday in 1969 at a public rally in Calcutta. He came out with the seminal Terai report on revolution in India, which openly denounced the anarco-nihilist policies of Charu Majumdar and his loyalists.

After the failure of the Naxalite uprising, Sanyal went into hiding. The death of his colleague Charu Majumdar was followed by the breakup of the Naxalite movement, and Sanyal was claimed to have abandoned violent means and accepted parliamentary practice as a form of revolutionary activity.[5]

Arrest

He was eventually cornered and arrested in August 1970. News of his arrest sparked of region-wide violence by the radical communists. CPI(ML) cadres destroyed property, raided and attacked educational institutions, and engaged in rioting.[6]

Jail life

For seven years Sanyal was imprisoned in a jail in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh in the case known as the Parvatipuram Naxalite Conspiracy case. He was convicted in the Parvatipuram Conspiracy Case, by the Sessions Judge.

Sanyal was released from jail in 1977, following the shift of government in India as well as in West Bengal. Jyoti Basu, the new CPI(M) chief minister, personally intervened to ensure Sanyal's release.[7] By the time of his release, Sanyal had publicly condemned the original strategy of the armed struggle of the CPI(ML), without building prior and proper popular mass base amongst the common people.[8]

Kanu Sanyal was released from Jail by another CPIM Jyoti Basu. Kanu Sanyal attended CPIM all-party meetings till the end of his life. After his release Sanyal rallied his supporters and formed the Organising Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (OCCR).[9]

Formation of COI (ML)

In 1985 Sanyal's faction along with five other groups, merged to form the Communist Organisation of India (Marxist-Leninist). Sanyal became the leader of COI(ML).[10]

Later years

In his later years, Sanyal continued his broad engagement in political activism, including the labour movement and land rights. For these activities he was arrested and detained several times, in spite of his old age.

On 18 January 2006, while protesting against a lockout of tea garden workers in the region, Sanyal and other fellow agitators were arrested for causing a train to be held up at the New Jalpaiguri Railway Station in Siliguri, North Bengal.[11][12]

As of late 2006, Sanyal became a prominent figure in the opposition to land acquisition in Singur. On 8 December he was arrested and detained along with three other Naxalite leaders, after the police stopped and charged a demonstration procession.[13]


In Folklore


− He has been remembered in Public life by world poet and singer Roddur Roy- Roy sings: −

Buddhadeber podh mara geche
Kanununu Sanyal shokal bela kheche
Laker dhare khaler dhare altufaltu joto
Jyoti Basur moto podh utle more ache koto
Ganashakti, anandabazar patrika mile
Bangla bhashar podh mere koreche ghile

Death

On 23 Mar 2010, he was found hanging at his residence at Seftullajote village, 25 km Siliguri (West Bengal) from where Naxal Movement began under his leadership. Sanyal was suffering from old-age related cardio pulmonary ailments. At the time of his death he was the general secretary of a new CPI(ML), formed by merger of several splinter groups of the original party.[14]

Sanyal, as well as the Naxalite movement, was referenced in Jhumpa Lahiri's 2013 novel The Lowland.[15]

References
  1. Sinha, Avijit (24 March 2010). "Naxalbari movement founder kills self". The Telegraph. India. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  2. Franda, Marcus F. (1 January 1969). "India's Third Communist Party". Asian Survey. 9 (11): 797–817. doi:10.2307/2642225. JSTOR 2642225.
  4. "Top Naxal leader Kanu Sanyal commits suicide". Rediff news. 23 March 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  6. "Naxalites on Hard Times". Archived from the original on 19 February 2008.
  7. "Bengal Left Front Govt Steps Into 28th Year". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2007.
  8. The road from Naxalbari Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "Naxalism today".
  10. H., Scott. "Maoist Revolutionary parties and organizations in India".
  11. "Kanu Sanyal arrested for "rail roko"". NCHRO. 16 January 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  12. "Kanu Sanyal arrested for rail roko". 18 January 2006.
  13. "Buddha invites Mamata for talks. Police lathi charges mediapersons, seven hurt". The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Nation. 9 December 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  14. Saugata Roy, TNN 23 Mar 2010, 04.20pm IST (23 March 2010). "Top Naxal leader Kanu Sanyal found dead in his house". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 August 2012.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. Anita Felicelli (9 October 2013). "'The Moment' in Jhumpa Lahiri's 'The Lowland'". Los Angeles Review of Books.
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