Carnages of Ananda Marga ascetics (on April 30, 1982) commemorated in Kolkata
No justice yet
No matter what the magnitude of a massacre is, it’s highly
important (as well) to make people remember the same with each day it passes – ascetics
of Ananda Marga order have been doing the same job tirelessly. And with April
30, 2012 they have made the 30 th commemoration of carnage of 17 Anandamarga
Sannyasis (including 1 sannyasin) that happened on April 30, 1982 in broad
daylight and before thousands of silent onlookers, placing it in the list of
ghastliest mass murders in the history of human civilization thus far.
Dadhichi Diwas on April 30, 2012 (commemoration of mass execution
of ascetics on April 30, 1982), apart from the ascetics of Ananda Marga order, was
participated by people from other walks of life too including Bharat Sanskriti
Manch, headed by Sri Tapan Ghosh, president, Hindu Samhati.
In accordance with reports, the ghastly incident on April 30, 1982
took place at Bijon Setu, Kolkata, Bengal , stone's
throw to P.S. Gariahat and P.S. Kasba, and was perpetrated by a large number of
ruffians in the vicinity. Even if the government came out (in no time) with a
fictitious story terming the incident as a fallout of public outrage (terming
people were recklessly determined to get hold of kidnappers of children - cheledhora), without doubt a nasty
design reigned supremely or else taxis carrying ascetics of Ananda Marga, going
to attend an educational conference in their headquarter at Tiljala, wouldn’t
have been stopped at three places between Bijon Setu and Bandel Road (1 km road
altogether). Ascetics were drawn out of
the cabs then, beaten mercilessly and burnt to death in the end. Police never
turned up!
It is alleged
that involved ruffians were known as truehearted cadres of CPIM, at the helm of
affairs in the state then. Moreover, both the government and party under aegis
of Jyoti Basu and Pramod Dasgupta respectively remained tightlipped while the
ostensible leaders of the carnage, local CPIM MLAs Sachin Sen and Kanti Ganguli,
remained free. No inquiry commission did happen owing to persistent hindrances
of then CPIM-led government.
There has not
been any justice thus far – justice delayed is justice denied.
A number of speakers
including Sri Tapan Ghosh spoke on the occasion.
Comments
Founded 27 years ago, the group has been linked with bombings, assassination attempts, hijackings, arson and murder in India, Australia, Malaysia, England, the Philippines, Scandinavia and the U.S. Members who defect, as well as certain political figures and diplomatic officials who pose a threat to the group, have been especially vulnerable to acts of violence attributed to a Gestapo-like branch of the sect.
Ananda Marga’s guru, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar – called “Baba,” or father, by his followers – spent seven years in an Indian jail before reversal of his conviction on charges of murdering seven disloyal members. While he was imprisoned, followers committed acts of terrorism and self-immolation to gain the guru’s release.
Sarker, 61, predicts the cult will rule the world by the year 2005. Looked upon as a god by his devout followers, he teaches that the world is in a state of moral and physical decay. Hope lies only in an “intellectual revolution” led by Ananda Marga, and if that fails, “physical revolution is inevitable.”
The group claims 3 million members in 30 countries, with 5,000 in the United States. The State Department, however, estimates 400,000 members worldwide, with 5,000 in the United States.
Ananda Marga denies having participated in any acts of terrorism or violence, but law enforcement organizations throughout the world are seriously investigating the group, and, in some cases, have instituted “extreme security measures” to protect individuals whose lives have been threatened by Ananda Marga.
I suggest that before one makes the charge that AMYS (or any group)is enganging or has engaged in terrorist activities, that they look up the entire history of the cases. For example, the Hilton bomboing in Sydney is often used in this regard, but the convicted Margiis were ultimately freed and their records purged of the "crime" while many in the security forces of the country have come forward to say that they now feel the bombing was done by the same security forces and AMYS was framed for it.