Jangal Santal and the Peasant Movement of Naxalbari: A Glance over a Forgotten Chapter of Indian History

Abstract

The Naxalbari movement and the participation of the peasants have been studied from different angles. But in most of the works, an adivasi leader named Jangal has hardly been highlighted. The present article is an investigation to find out the personality and the revolutionary mind of JangalSantal who started his humble life in Nepal and at a certain time settled at a village near Bagdogra, Darjeeling. Comrade Jangal started a full-fledged political life in 1952 and gradually took basic knowledge of politics as a member of KishakSabha. Incidentally, he got enrolled himself as a member of the Communist Party of India in 1953 and it is said that comrade KanuSanyal was the monitor behind this lift. JangalSantal was a born leader and he was identified with the term ladai (struggle) and he concentrated his activities in the Naxalbari-Hatighisha region, Darjeeling. Being involved in various strikes and movements organized by the tea garden workers of Darjeeling, he gradually became concerned about the problems of the peasants of the region and how they were victims of the jotedar’sgundas who did not spare the peasants from physical torture. Comrade Jangal came in touch with many leading leaders like CharuMazumdar, AzizulHaque, KadamMallick, SourenBasu and the like who jointly organized programmes in the Tarai region. As per programme, Jangal and his associates took up the case of the tea garden workers and also to search out the illegal lands of the jotedars who had established a monopoly right to exploit and torture poor people on various excuses and occasions. JangalSantal did not believe in the movement leading to killing and murder or bloodshed (khatam line) of the class enemies. The rise of JangalSantal was again not an accident but a reality, and his style of leadership from a down-trodden community no doubt broke the traditional belief and so called historical truth that a political leader might come from a man of lower origin too. In a caste-ridden society like India, the rise of comrade JangalSantal may thus be an uncommon incident in the historiography of India. He was given a membership in the Provincial Committee of the CPI (ML) and obviously it was recognition as a mass leader. The most interesting side of his personality and leadership was that he was identified with the interest of the peasants and toiling people and his voice was the last one to mobilize the people of all level for a movement. Lastly this so-called extremist line of action did not impress him because until his death he did not appreciate the said principle in the name of peoples’ right vis-à-vis peoples’ movement.