Baccha Prasad Singh: Difference between revisions

Singh hails from [[Chapra district]] in the Indian state of [[Bihar]]. He is a science student of [[Patna University]] and had participated in [[Jayaprakash Narayan]]’s Civil liberty movement in the mid 70's before joining the [[Naxalite–Maoist insurgency|Naxal]] movement. Singh had been active in the [[Communist Party of India (Maoist)|CPI (Maoist)]] since 1992. He became Party's regional commander of [[Chhapra]] [[Siwan, Bihar|Siwan]] area.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/from-jnu-and-maoist-choice-for-u-3/cid/547282|title=From JNU and Maoist choice for U-3|last=Chakraborty|first=Tapas|date=10 February 2010|newspaper=The Telegraph|location=India|access-date=28 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/report/crackdown-on-maoists-in-uttar-pradesh/20100208.htm|title=UP: Major crackdown on Maoists, 10 held|date=8 February 2010|publisher=Rediff|access-date=28 March 2019}}</ref> Thereafter Singh became the member of Central Committee and Politburo. He was active to form mass organisations through a secret fraction committee, which comprised Maoist cadres within the mass outfit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/activists-linked-to-maoist-front-outfits/articleshow/65663658.cms|title=Activists linked to Maoist front outfits|access-date=16 March 2019}}</ref> Singh was arrested on 8 February 2010 in [[Naubasta]] area, [[Kanpur]], [[Uttar Pradesh]] in a top-secret operation by Special Task Force (STF) of [[Uttar Pradesh Police]]. Another Maoist leader and intellectual Banshidhar alias Chintan were arrested along with him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/top-maoists-held/story-w7j4QWolFI6FCc7IZb2XBM.html|title=Top Maoists held|access-date=16 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Bail-to-Naxalites-arrested-in-Kanpur/articleshow/20822928.cms|title=Bail to Naxalites arrested in Kanpur|access-date=16 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/ganapathy-kishanji-on-top-of-governments-most-wanted-maoists-list/articleshow/10072072.cms|title=Ganapathy, Kishanji on top of government's most-wanted Maoists list|access-date=16 March 2019}}</ref> Singh's wife Asha is also a Maoist activist. Asha was arrested when she came to meet their son in [[Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh|Gorakhpur]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/7-maoists-descend-on-kanpur-for-meeting-held/|title=7 Maoists descend on Kanpur for meeting,held|website=indianexpress.com|access-date=16 March 2019}}</ref>

The Communist Party of India (CPI) was originally founded to combat colonialism and British Rule in 1925 to oppose the nationalist government in place. There were many different subgroups of this party including the maoists.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Singh|first=Pritam|title=The origins, influence, suppression and resilience of the Maoist/Naxalite movement in India: 1967– present|url=https://www.academia.edu/30979186/The_origins_influence_suppression_and_resilience_of_the_Maoist_Naxalite_movement_in_India_1967_present}}</ref> Maoism is an alternate form of communism that was developed by Mao Tse Tung which is a "mighty mass movement against imperialism". The ideology is similar to communism, but it believes in seizing state power through means of violence, political alliances, and any means necessary. Maoists believe that it is essential to take the power away from the state in order to fully immerse itself into communism, and this is done through mobilization of people due to inequality within the current structure, to then commit acts of violence. The Communist Party of India (Maoist), is the largest group of communists that reside within India. It was founded in 2004, as part of a merger between many smaller groups, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The goal of the party is to overthrow the state with the “protracted people’s war”. Baccha Prasad Singh was a member of this party and ultimately lead to his arrest, as members who are found to be apart of this organization are considered to be “terrorists” by the Indian government. He aligned with their political belief in which the current state must be overthrown by any means necessary.<ref>{{Cite web|last=.gov|first=mha|date=2016|title=What is a Maoist?|url=https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/LWE_FAQS_22012016.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2021}}</ref> Singh was quoted saying “With respect to revolutionary violence, we need to ask the important question of ‘who perpetuates violence in the first place?’; it is always the ruler. Violence is the only means of sustenance for the ruler or exploiter, it is a part of their character and existence”. <ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gupta|first=Tilak D.|date=2006|title=Maoism in India: Ideology, Programme and Armed Struggle|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4418465|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=41|issue=29|pages=3172–3176|issn=0012-9976}}</ref>