Comrade Bhaskar : A Creative Revolutionary Intellectual of Exemplary Courage

uly-August 1999
On April 16, at 7-00 P.M., Vishakhapatnam City Committee Secretary, Comrade Madhu (Akella Bhaskar Rao), was shot dead near Vishakha airport by the SIB (Special Intelligence Bureau) police on the road itself. The police as usual concocted the story of an encounter. Vishakhapatnam is a centre of the enemy forces to suppress the armed agrarian movement led by the CPI (ML) [People's War] in East division. The SIB police spending vast sums of money for maintaining ex-militants as informers are sending them to work inside the mass organisations with the aim of capturing the organisers. Already many activists and leaders of the People's War were killed in fake encounters to make Hyderabad city a safe zone for the enemy. Recently the police killed Comrade Praveen and Veeraswamy by arresting them at Mantralayam. In view of Vishakha city getting the next prominence after Hyderabad, and the tours of many ministers and high officials is going on there and in addition the rural, agency area of North Andhra is unfavourable to the enemy, they are paying special attention on suppressing the Vishakha city as part of suppressing the movement in the East region.

Known as Comrade Madhu, Deepak, Jaipal among the oppressed masses of Vishakha, Comrade Bhaskar was born in a middle class Dalit family in Chirala town of Prakasam district. From his very childhood, he experienced untouchability and caste discrimination. He integrated with the revolutionary student movement with the firm conviction that it was the only real path to liberate the toiling masses. He played a prominent role to develop the student movement in the coastal region of AP by participating actively in the RSU movement when he was studying at Nagarjuna University. Known as 'University Bhaskar' to the general students itself, he mingled with all the students and taught revolutionary politics easily. He countered the pro-ruling class goonda students' attacks on the Radical students movement and strengthened RSU in the Nagarjuna University. He was elected as state EC member of RSU and took up the responsibility of developing the student movement in the South Coastal region. After completing M.A., he worked as a lecturer in the Chirala region for some time. After that he joined the journalism course in Andhra University and started to build RSU.He stayed at Nagarjuna hostel in Vishakhapatnam and rectified the wrong trends which were developing among the Dalit students and tried to mould them to participate in the Radical Students movement. He built the RSU in Vishakhapatnam city as well as in Rushikonda Engineering College. He participated and led the students in the pro-reservation movement as well as bundhs which were going on at that time. He became a professional revolutionary in 1990 and took up responsibility as the student organiser of Vishakha city. He led the volunteers ensuring the successful completion of the Rytu Coolie Sangam Conference at Warangal.

Unable to function legally in view of the enemy's serious following, he started UG life from January 1991. He became a member of the Vishakha City Committee in July 1992. He relentlessly tried to build the women students' movement in Andhra University. On the hostel issues, teaching problems and against student goondagiri, he guided and led and built a strong women student movement in Andhra University. He extensively organised dalit students on the demand of enlisting dalit christians into the SC list and mobilised other sections of people in the city for its support. He had taken the responsibilities of City Secretary at the Vishakha city Party Conference held in the beginning of 1996. Afterwards he studied the working class and trade union movement and taught revolutionary politics to workers. He put enormous effort to strengthen women, literary, civil liberties movements in Vishakha city.

Ever cheerful and creating an enthusiastic atmosphere, he was a dear comrade to every one. Even after the martyrdom of his life-partner Comrade Savithri last year, he continued his work in a spirited manner. He was a good teacher who could teach very easily for the cadre on any issue however complex it may be. He observed the changes that were taking place in the dalit movement and was always eager to mould them into the revolutionary movement. The martyrdom of Comrade Bhaskar who acquired valuable experiences in his 15 years of revolutionary life is great loss to the revolutionary movement particularly the movement in Vishakha. It is a loss that cannot be easily filled up. People's March pays its red homage to this comrade and takes inspiration from his indefatigable energy, exemplary courage and unceasing creativity that are to be imbibed by every revolutionary intellectual.