Statements and messages paying homage to Dr G.N. Saibaba from many countries of the world

Many revolutionaries parties and organisations issued statements after the new of professor G.N. Saibaba's death came to the public. Here we publish 14 messages from Italy, India, Philppines, Colombia, France, Bangladesh, Galicia, Brasil, Nepal, Greece and Australia. Some of them are not in English but in Portughese, French and Galician, we will try to translate them in the future (we ask help to the comrades to help us in this task).

We are going to spread also news about political activities and actions commemorating our beloved comrade G.N. Saibaba

ICSPWI

 

Italy - ICSPWI Italy

 

Honour to comrade Saibaba

Down with fascist imperialist Modi regime

Forward with the People's War

Long Live the CPI (Maoist) 20th anniversary

 

Bangladesh - Revolutionary-Student Youth Movement

 

 

France - message to ICSPWI

Bonjour camarades, c'est avec douleur et grande tristesse que nous avons appris le décès de notre camarade Saibaba. Permettez-nous de présenter nos sincères condoléances à sa famille, à ses camarades et à ses amis. Nous savons très bien la perte que représente le départ de notre camarade quant au travail révolutionnaire en Inde et plus largement pour l'internationalisme. Mais comme le disaient ici les résistants : "Ami si tu tombes, un ami sort de l'ombre à ta place". Une étoile ne meurt jamais et les révolutionnaires - flambeaux de la résistance - non plus. Pour honorer sa vie, sa mémoire, continuons le combat jusqu'à la victoire. Salutations rouges internationaliste.

Vos camarades de France

Le CRI Rouge pour la défense des prisonniers politiques révolutionnaires

Le Comité d'action et de soutien aux luttes du peuple marocain

Le Comité de défense du peuple tunisien

Secours rouge arabe

 

Australia - CPA (ML)

On the death of Dr G.N. Saibaba, fighter for freedom

The Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) joins comrades around the word in mourning the death of Comrade Dr. G. N. Saibaba, an outstanding fighter for the liberation of the Indian people.

The wheelchair-bound Saibaba, who was 90% disabled due to a childhood bout with polio, was undergoing treatment at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Telangana’s Hyderabad district, where he was admitted 10 days ago due to ill health. His aides said he suffered a heart attack around 8 pm and was declared dead by doctors at the hospital at 8:30 pm.

Dr. Saibaba, who had been employed at Delhi University and had long campaigned for the rights of the poor and working masses of India, was arrested on May 9, 2014 for alleged ties to the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and involvement in activities deemed as waging war against the nation. His arrest came under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

At that time, Dr. Saibaba was convenor of the ‘Forum Against War On People’ against Operation Green Hunt, the military campaign against the armed fighters of the Maoist Party.

Dr Saibaba was acquitted by the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court on March 5 of this year, nearly 10 years after he was first arrested. The Bombay High Court found that the prosecution had not proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. Of course, the real cause for his acquittal was the campaign, Indian and international, that had been waged for his release.

Speaking of his ten years in gaol, Dr. Saibaba said: “Prison is a microcosm of the external world, where all the societal evils are even more pronounced than outside.”

“Caste-based discrimination is rampant in prison, and works are assigned based on the caste of inmates. In fact, assignment of jobs based on caste is mentioned in the jail manual too,” Dr Saibaba said.

The amended Prisons Act 1894 allows ‘mild bodily torture’ as a means to control and discipline prisoners. While there is no way one can protest against such a system except through a hunger strike, even that would yield no result unless amplified by voices outside the prison.

Under the pretext of mild torture, all prisoners are beaten up upon arrival without reason. The only exceptions are gangsters, politicians of repute and ‘Naxal cases’, Dr Saibaba said.

We express our deepest condolences to the family, friends and comrades of the outstanding fighter for freedom, Dr Saibaba.

 

Nepal - Revolutionary Communist Party

RCP Nepal pays deep tributes to Comrade G. N. Saibaba !

Kathmandu . Revolutionary Communist Party of Nepal’s In-Charge of International Department, Com. Gaurav has issued a homage statement on the demise of Comrade G.N. Saibaba and payed deep tributes to Comrade G. N. Saibaba.

In the homage statement com. Gaurav has mentioned, ” The news of the death of G. N. Saibaba, one of the famous Marxist intellectuals, writers, poets, and human rights personalities of India’s left-wing movement at the age of 57, has worried us. Saibaba, who was also a professor at Delhi University in India, was imprisoned by the Indian government on the charge of “association with the Communist Party of India (Maoist)” which has been conducting a continuous people’s war there for a long time.  A Sessions Court of India sentenced him to life imprisonment, but the High Court overturned the decision. Saibaba, who was born in Amalampuram, Andhra Pradesh, underwent stone surgery while in prison. However, he was admitted to the Nizam Medical College Hospital in Hyderabad as he did not recover after the surgery. On the night of October 12, Saibaba passed away. His death has caused serious damage to the leftist movement in India. Our party pays deep tributes to Comrade G. N. Saibaba.”

Greece - Communist Party of Greece (marxist-leninist)

Τhe Indian regime is guilty for torturously murdering him!

On the night of October 12th the heart of a revolutionary fighter, who literally devoted his whole life and his crippled body to the defence of the rights of millions of poor and outcasts in India, and fought tirelessly for their national and social liberation, stopped beating. Crippled Professor G.N. Saibaba was 57 years old and managed to live only seven months at liberty after his release from prison. He was trying, with the help of doctors, to make a basic recovery from the severe health effects of the long imprisonment to which the reactionary Indian regime had subjected him.

The professor who fought against social discrimination, injustice and oppression against the majority of Indians — especially the indigenous tribes and the Adivasis — was considered internal enemy number one. He was persecuted and sentenced to life imprisonment on fabricated evidence. He was imprisoned in the harshest prisons and tortured, considering his physical disability as well.

Although the Indian mainstream media presents his death as natural, all progressive people in India and around the world know that the death of Saibaba is a murder, which was caused by the imprisonment and inhumane conditions he faced for more than 8 years; and the perpetrator of this murder is the reactionary Indian regime and the governments of the right-wing Modi.

In Greece there was a great wave of solidarity with the imprisoned militant and his release a few months ago was considered a victory for the entire international movement of support for political prisoners in India. Professor Saibaba had visited Greece and had spoken at events of internationalist solidarity. He will remain unforgettable, and his memory will follow us in our struggles for social liberation and socialism. We send our deepest condolences to his wife, his daughter, to his comrades in India and to the international movement of solidarity for political prisoners.

The International bureau of the Communist Party of Greece (marxist-leninist)

Monday 14-10-2024

 

Brasil - Liga Operaia

GN Saibaba presente na luta!

“Meu Amor,

vida da minha vida,

esses dias eu penso em morte,

quero dizer sobre a vida,

porque

eu tenho um pacto de amor com a beleza,

eu tenho um pacto de sangue com meu povo.”

G. N. Saibaba em carta a sua esposa em 2018.

É com grande pesar que a Liga Operária expressa seu sentimento e solidariedade internacionalista ao falecimento de G. N. Saibaba ocorrido neste último sábado (12/10). Para nós o professor G.N. Saibaba foi e seguirá sendo um intransigente militante em defesa dos direitos do povo na Índia e da causa de libertação de todos os povos oprimidos do mundo. Sua atuação na defesa de seus ideais enquanto professor da Universidade de Delhi e enquanto presidente da Frente Democrática Revolucionária (FDR) despertou a fúria dos reacionários indianos que o perseguiram e o aprisionaram.

 

 

Panfleto da Liga Operária na campanha pelar libertação do professor Saibaba.

Saibaba foi sequestrado por agentes da policia em 2014 sem direito a julgamento sob a pretensa “lei de prevenção de atividades ilegais” e desde então foi preso e solto diversas vezes, sendo que a última prisão durou de 2017 a 2022. Esta lei, muito parecida com a lei anti-terrorismo aprovada por Dilma(PT) no Brasil, permite prender preventivamente qualquer pessoa do povo sem que hajam provas nem julgamento, foi o que houve com Saibaba.

Condenado a prisão perpetua injustamente em 2017. Sua morte foi na realidade um assassinato a longo prazo, resultado direto de complicações em seu quadro de saúde causadas pelas condições do encarceramento nas masmorras do velho estado indiano.

Como todos sabem, o professor tinha 90% do corpo paralisado devido a poliomielite que sofreu na infância. Na conferência de imprensa que deu logo após a prisão, enfrentando as fortes dores para conseguir falar com a imprensa e o povo, denunciou que “Fiquei preso em uma prisão que tem capacidade para 1.500 presos, mas 3.000 pessoas estavam alojadas lá em condições precárias. Não havia sequer uma única rampa na prisão para pessoas como eu”.

“Em vez de ir para o hospital, optei por falar hoje com a imprensa porque vocês me apoiaram. Minha família enfrentou estigma e fui chamado de terrorista… Estou sentado na frente de vocês hoje para conversar com todos vocês com muitas dores no corpo. Não consigo falar direito nem estou em posição de sentar aqui”, completou ele.

Na ocasião de sua soltura em 2022 por falta de provas ativistas indianos denunciaram que a decisão tardia do Supremo Tribunal de Bombain, que deu a liberdade a Saibaba, impediria a recuperação total do professor – o que corrobora a denúncia de assassinato a longo prazo.

Mesmo nas difíceis condições impostas pela perseguição, Saibaba nunca deixou de defender o povo indiano, um motivo que o moveu durante grande parte da vida.

Presidente da FDR por anos, Saibaba defendeu os povos tribais da Índia, ameaçados e perseguidos pelo Estado indiano e grandes mineradoras latifundiárias e imperialistas, desde a década de 1990.

Saibaba também denunciou de forma irrefreável as ações das forças da repressão contra o povo e as políticas antipovo e de castas na Índia.

Por três anos, entre 2009 e 2012, prestou um papel fundamental na reunião de democratas no Fórum Contra a Guerra ao Povo. Nele, Saibaba denunciou a Operação Caçada Verde, que, sob o pretexto de perseguir a Revolução Indiana dirigida pelo Partido Comunista da Índia (Maoista), cometeu inúmeros crimes contra os revolucionários e massas da Índia.

Nesse período, Saibaba participou de vários eventos internacionais para condenar a guerra contra o povo e defender a Revolução Indiana.

Foi justamente por conta dessas atividades, que feriram os interesses sanguessugas das castas dominantes e dos imperialistas na Índia, que a perseguição contra Saibaba endureceu. Em 2012, o professor foi ameaçado de despejo da universidade em que trabalhava. A tentativa foi impedida por uma grande campanha internacional de personalidades democráticas e, inclusive, do meio acadêmico.

Em setembro de 2013, porém, o Estado indiano, a serviço das classes dominantes, invadiu a casa de Saibaba, o arrancou de suas cadeiras de rodas e o prendeu. A acusação foi de que o professor (que já sofria um quadro de paralisia), havia cometido um roubo em Maharashtra. Ele acabou solto.

Foi o início da longa trajetória de novas prisões contra o professor. Reproduzimos abaixo a trajetória da luta de Saibaba por liberdade publicada pelo jornal A Nova Democracia.

“Em 2014, o Dr. Saibaba foi sequestrado clandestinamente de dentro da Universidade de Delhi e, na sequência, preso arbitrariamente sob a fascista “Lei de Prevenção de Atividades Ilegais”, após tomar parte nas campanhas de defesa dos direitos do povo, já sendo acusado de ligação com os maoístas. Ele era também ativo na luta pela libertação dos presos políticos indianos e na defesa da luta camponesa contra a instalação de multinacionais na Índia Central e Oriental. Professores e ativistas da Universidade de Delhi denunciaram no mesmo dia do sequestro a perseguição contra Saibaba. Ramdev, irmão do Dr. Saibaba, denunciou o isolamento que lhe fora imposto, afirmando ainda que os carcereiros não lhe entregavam os medicamentos utilizados desde que sofrera uma parada cardíaca, claro ato de tortura.”

“Em 3 de julho de 2015, a Alta Corte de Bombaim concedeu à Saibaba três meses de liberdade mediante pagamento de fiança após seguidas denúncias da deterioração da sua saúde na prisão. Em entrevista concedida na ocasião, ele questionou: “Por que o governo tem medo de mim? Eu sou 90% paralisado? Este Estado acha que uma pessoa que tem a coragem de se aproximar, ver e descrever a realidade é uma ameaça”. O professor também seguiu em sua defesa da legitimidade da luta revolucionária e condenando o velho Estado indiano pela violência desatada contra o povo, bem como denunciou as próprias condições de sua prisão e as violências sofridas em seu tempo no cárcere.”

“Em dezembro do mesmo ano, a Suprema Corte de Bombaim cancelou a fiança do professor, prendendo-o no natal. Sob renovadas tentativas de assassinato silencioso, Saibaba denunciou, em 2016, em carta ao ao principal juiz do distrito de Gadchiroli que não estava recebendo tratamento para o grave ferimento em seu ombro esquerdo adquirido na prisão e que isto agravava o perigo de perder o movimento de sua mão esquerda. Na época, pediu ao juiz para que fosse encaminhado imediatamente para o tratamento e requisitou instalações mínimas e ajudantes para tarefas diárias como banho, uso do sanitário, deslocamento, alimentação entre outras adaptações adequadas a sua condição.”

“Em 4 de abril de 2016, Saibaba foi libertado sob fiança novamente, sendo, porém, condenado à prisão perpétua em março de 2017. Em carta escrita da prisão à sua esposa, Saibaba afirmava:”

“‘Eu não tenho um cobertor. Eu não tenho um suéter ou jaqueta. À medida que a temperatura diminui, as dores excruciantes e contínuas nas pernas e na mão esquerda aumentam. É impossível para mim sobreviver aqui durante o inverno que começa a partir de novembro. Eu moro aqui como um animal nos últimos suspiros’.”

“Em 17 de dezembro de 2018, como forma de continuar o seu plano de assassinato silencioso, o velho Estado indiano acusou também os médicos de Saibaba (o geriatra Dr. Haji Bhatti, o neurologista Dr. Prasad e o cardiologista Dr. Gopinath) de serem “simpatizantes do maoísmo” por atestarem o grave estado de saúde em que se encontrava o professor. No dia 21 de outubro de 2020, Saibaba iniciou uma greve de fome para protestar contra sua prisão e as condições em que era mantido.”

“Foi em 2022 que uma primeira absolvição foi concedida à Saibaba, pelo Tribunal Superior de Mumbai. O Supremo Tribunal Indiano decidiu, porém, de última hora, suspender a decisão, que havia se dado após um mês de campanhas internacionais em defesa da liberdade, da vida e da saúde do professor.  A Agência Nacional de Investigação (ANI) da Índia denunciou ao Supremo Tribunal que a acusação contra o prisioneiro era “muito grave” e que as irregularidades processuais (como a forja de “provas” pelas autoridades) não eram suficientes para “justificar a absolvição”. O protesto de seus estudantes na Universidade de Delhi contra a decisão reacionária foi duramente reprimido.”

Foi durante esse longo período que Saibaba escreveu um conjunto de poemas sobre seu tempo no cárcere e a luta das massas. Defendeu, em um deles, como um recado para a própria mãe, que “a liberdade que perdi / é a liberdade que multidões ganharam / porque todo aquele que toma parte por mim / toma para si a causa dos desgraçados da terra / onde minha liberdade hoje repousa”.

Mortalidade é verdade, como Saibaba escreveu, “mesmo a terra morre” mas como ele desejava “devem haver muitas terras”. Portanto a morte atingiu Saibaba mas seu pacto de sangue com seu povo ainda vive. A revolução na Índia segue em curso e seu povo combate em sua justa guerra por libertação.

Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba presente na luta!

 

Galicia (Spanish State) - Galiza Vermelha

Queremos denunciar a culminaçom do assassinato do camarada GN Saibaba a mãos do estado genocida indio do fascista Modi. Honra e glória ao camarada GN Saibaba mártir da Revolução Proletária Mundial!

Brasil - Novo MEPR

Homenagem ao Dr. G. N. Saibaba e sua gloriosa vida em defesa da luta do povo

Com profunda comoção e espírito de luta, homenageamos o Dr. G. N. Saibaba que desapareceu neste sábado, dia 12, aos 58 anos, após complicações causadas pela seu tempo encarcerado criminosamente em processo forjado pelo velho estado indiano. O professor de Literatura da Universidade de Delhi, foi encarcerado por 10 anos junto com outros 5 acusado de ligações “maoístas” devido a sua atuação intransigente em defesa do povo indiano como secretário adjunto da Frente Democrática Revolucionária.

O fascista governo de Modi é responsável da morte do professor, assim como responsável pela genocida operação, atualmente em curso, “Operação Kagaar”, que tem resultado num recrudescimento sem precedentes de todos os tipos de atrocidades contra as massas oprimidas da Índia, especialmente aquelas mobilizadas na guerra revolucionária agrária travada pelo glorioso PCI (M), que ousa construir o novo poder popular com as armas nas mãos.

A prisão do democrata em 2014, feita por policiais que o arrancaram da sua cadeira de rodas, foi em decorrência da Lei de Prevenção de Atividades Ilícitas (UAPA), ele e os outros 5 acusados foram absolvidos em março deste ano pela impossibilidade de provar as ligações. Porém, dos 5, apenas 4 foram soltos, pois Pandu Narote, morreu na prisão.

No caso, foram adicionadas guarda-chuvas, bananas e jornais como “provas” da ligação “naxal” e “terrorista”. Os réus enfrentaram acusações em cinco seções da UAPA, além da Seção 120B (conspiração criminosa) do Código Penal Indiano (IPC). Sempre que um tribunal inferior os absolvia, o estado recorria ao Supremo Tribunal para garantir que a decisão fosse suspensa.

Saibaba foi imposto a um regime carceráreo sem direito a cuidar de sua questão de saúde, sendo negado visitas ao hospital e acessibilidade, devido a complicações da paralisia em relação a pólio quando criança.

Em 1997, participou de um seminário no Fórum de Resistência Popular da Índia, destacando que as conquistas da Índia pós-Independência eram apenas uma “transferência de poder”. Ele enfatizou a necessidade de movimentos agrários e liderou o Fórum de Resistência Popular da Índia contra a repressão estatal em Andhra Pradesh e Bihar em 1999.

Saibaba criticou severamente as ofensivas estatais contra os Adivasis, como a Operação Green Hunt, que resultou em atrocidades contra comunidades indígenas. Ele coletou evidências que sugeriam que a classe dominante queria acesso aos recursos dos Adivasis a qualquer custo. Além de sua atuação acadêmica, Saibaba foi um defensor da libertação de prisioneiros políticos e lutou por direitos de estudantes Dalit e Adivasi na educação.

Após sua prisão, Saibaba sofreu uma deterioração de saúde, e seus apoiadores argumentam que isso foi resultado de sua longa detenção. Ele denunciou a negligência médica e as condições em que foi mantido na prisão. A experiência de Saibaba não é isolada; outros prisioneiros políticos também sofreram abusos. Ele denunciou que foi colocado em uma cela que nenhum preso havia sido ainda encarcerado e que havia o dobro da capacidade de aprisionados onde ficou.

A história de Saibaba também é a de sua esposa, Vasantha, que enfrentou desafios enormes para visitá-lo na prisão. Ela se recusou a demonstrar fraqueza durante as visitas, mantendo viva a memória de Saibaba e sua luta por justiça social. A paixão dele pela literatura e a luta dos marginalizados se entrelaçaram em sua obra, onde a poesia se tornou um meio de resistência à dor e à injustiça.

GN Saibaba, portanto, é um símbolo de luta, dedicação absoluta e resistência ao lado do povo indiano, cuja vida e trabalho continuam a ressoar mesmo após sua partida. É dever internacionalista aumentar as ações em defesa da revolução indiana, que derrota geração após geração o velho estado indiano e constrói o novo futuro através de sua intrépida Guerra Popular.

Colombia - Union Obrera Comunista (mlm)
Con motivo del fallecimiento del camarada Saibaba 1

Si, el camarada Saibaba no muere a pesar de que haya fallecido el pasado 12 de octubre. Y vive obstinadamente en el sonido creciente de las masas revolucionarias que indómitas persisten en construir un mundo nuevo con sus propias manos en el fragor de la Guerra Popular en la India; sigue viviendo en sus camaradas del Frente Democrático Revolucionario y del Partido Comunista de la India que dirigen este esfuerzo gigantesco por derribar las montañas de la explotación y la opresión; sigue viviendo en los combatientes del Ejército Guerrillero Popular, entre los obreros, los campesinos, los pueblos indígenas, los estudiantes e intelectuales revolucionarios porque se convirtió en su vocero y en combatiente de primera fila contra la tiranía fascista india.

Su figura inconfundible en silla de ruedas dio la vuelta al mundo y despertó la simpatía y el apoyo de los comunistas, los revolucionarios y personalidades progresistas de todos los países, quienes denunciaron su detención y condena movilizándose y realizando varias campañas por su liberación y la de sus cinco camaradas de juicio, condenados por oponerse a la guerra contra el pueblo orquestada por las clases dominantes y el imperialismo yanqui, y ejecutada con sevicia por el genocida Narendra Modi.

profesor Saibaba-India

Los comunistas en Colombia recibimos con profundo pesar la noticia de su fallecimiento porque nuestro hermano pueblo de la India ha perdido a una de sus más queridas y filosas espadas. Enviamos nuestro mensaje de solidaridad a sus familiares, amigos y camaradas, a quienes invitamos a transformar el dolor en fuerza porque sabemos cuánto pesa la pérdida de un dirigente. Reiteramos nuestro compromiso internacionalista y revolucionario persistiendo en el apoyo a la Guerra Popular en la India, en los esfuerzos por estrechar los lazos fraternales entre los pueblos y aprender de su valiosa experiencia de lucha.

Unión Obrera Comunista (mlm)

Brasil - A Nova Democracia

Muere el gran demócrata indio GN Saibaba


 

Brasil - Cedraspo

Long live the fighter for the rights of the people Prof. GN Saibaba

We hereby share the letter made by Centro Brasileiro de Solidariedade aos Povos – CEBRASPO (Brazilian Center for Solidarity with the Peoples) and sent to the comrades and relatives of G.N. Saibaba.

Dear comrades,

We express our sincere condolences on the death of the great Indian democrat, Professor GN Saibaba. We are aware that his unjust imprisonment on false charges by the Indian state amounted to a slow and gradual murder caused by the conditions of incarceration and the lack of health care for a person who had 90% of his movements paralyzed.

Our contact with the professor in Brazil left us with a deep impression of his understanding of the Indian and international reality, his involvement in the defense of a people’s democracy and in overcoming the historical injustices that impede and attack the rights of peoples.

And also about his extraordinary human service in overcoming the difficulties imposed on him by his illness, which was the result of crimes against the health of the people because it resulted from conditions preventable by medical science.

Greetings to his family and comrades.

Long live the fighter for the rights of the people Prof. GN Saibaba.

India - Insaf India
This is undoubtedly a state murder!

When crime, justice, and punishment become weaponized by a state founded on oppression and violence, those who become the voice of the oppressed are either imprisoned or killed. These murders occur under the guise of constitutionality, legality, and judicial process. Meanwhile, people without a conscience silently approve of these atrocities.

What crime did Prof. Saibaba commit? Why was he kept in solitary confinement for ten years? Ten years of relentless torture. After which the state eventually admitted that he had committed no crime.

Before his imprisonment, Saibaba had no health issues. It was the inhumane conditions of prison that completely destroyed his health. This is exactly what the state wanted: to push him to an irreversible state or to kill him. This is what was done to Pandu Narote and Father Stan Swamy. The state has pushed many political prisoners, illegally detained in the Bhima Koregaon conspiracy case, to the brink of death.

After being released, Saibaba gave interviews to numerous national and international media outlets and human rights organisations. In all these conversations, he never expressed self-pity, never asked, “Why did this happen to me?” To those who showed sympathy for his disability and the harsh conditions he faced in prison, he boldly said, “I don’t need sympathy, I need solidarity.” A true fighter, he never glorified himself, never showed any signs of fear or despair. He believed everything he did was part of his revolutionary practice for the greater good of society.

In a Telugu interview, Saibaba was asked, “You were imprisoned for ten years just for speaking about Adivasi rights. Why are you still talking about them now?” His response still echoes in my ears: “If someone who considers themselves civilized doesn’t speak for the oppressed Adivasis, then that civilization itself is meaningless.”

As Saibaba departs, he leaves us with a question to reflect on: our intellectual pride, self-praise, illusions of development, and fears. As a civilized and humane person, where do you stand in the ultimate war that the Sanatan corporate state is waging against the Adivasis? What will be the fate of Dalits, Bahujans, religious minorities, and women in the ‘New India’ (which in essence is a Sanatan India) that this regime dreams of? Perhaps Saibaba came (as he said, from a small prison to a larger one) and left us with this challenge.

Despite his many health issues, he spoke with hundreds of people, made numerous plans, and had much more to write. He was eager to return to the classroom and teach again. Though those plans may come to a halt, the path he chose and the courage he showed will never cease.

Shame on you, state! You killed a humanitarian. You may have physically eliminated Prof. Saibaba, but do you have the power to kill his spirit? From Socrates to Antonio Gramsci to Saibaba, you have killed countless public intellectuals and activists. But you have never been able to nor will ever be able to erase their paths. Do you not know what history tells us? In the ultimate struggle, the people will emerge victorious!

Salutes to Prof. G. N. Saibaba, the immortal humanist who fought for the oppressed of this land! As long as there are people who care for their fellow humans and for nature, you will live on.

Long live Prof. Saibaba!

We may not be able to walk in your procession, but we and others will continue to walk the path you have traversed!

One of Your Comrades

 

InSAF India: Dear Doctors,

Dear Doctors,When you remove Saibaba’s eyes,

Please add a touch of gentleness,

For in them lie traces of the world he dreamt of,

That might unfold within someone else.

Please extract his heart with utmost skill,

For in that tenacious heart that denied death

In the fascist Manuvadi regime’s prison,

You may find the roots of tender compassion

For the Adivasis and the oppressed masses.

In constant captivity, grappling with illness,

He stood firm for his beliefs.

Please check, perhaps, those polio-stricken legs

Could leave a mark on the faces

Of the chameleon activists who preach a new ideology every day.

One more, final request …

Please preserve that brain even more carefully for the future generations,

For though ninety percent disabled,

His “thinking mind” made this exploitative system tremble with fear.

Someday, it may help someone identify the system’s weak link.

Janjerla Ramesh Babu

President, Telangana Forum Against Displacement

(With a heart burdened by sorrow for the sudden martyrdom of Comrade G.N. Saibaba…)

 

InSAF India: Prof GN Saibaba, We Salute You Comrade

We hereby share a statement published by the International Solidarity for Academic Freedom (InSAF) in India.

The Ocean is His Voice — GN Saibaba

His poetry smells of the soil

In it, the oceans churn:

The whirling cyclonic

Eastern winds roar;

The thunderous Western monsoon clouds

Carry torrents of rains

The collective voice speaks

Through his nimble words.

His lullabies hum children

Into dreams of Future’s visual frames

Artwork: Lokesh Khodke

G.N. Saibaba – professor of English, poet, and comrade – is no longer with us. Acquitted and released from prison after a decade of an unjust and brutal incarceration, he died within seven months of his release. He was convicted in 2017 in a hasty trial in which twenty-two of the twenty-three witnesses were policemen and the remaining one a citizen who knew nothing about the case but was coerced into signing a statement by the police. The state proved that the “life sentence” it handed to him was effectively a death sentence.

In the intervening years, GN Saibaba’s health deteriorated. He was struck by Covid twice, began losing function in both arms, suffered from declining cardiovascular health, and endured excruciating pain. When the jail authorities installed a CCTV camera in his toilet and refused to give him a plastic water bottle, he went on a hunger strike and won. They took in a man afflicted with polio, but otherwise fully functional, vital, and healthy – and “freed” someone who needed immediate and urgent care and did not survive a year of that “freedom.”

Why, G.N. Saibaba asked, “do they fear my way so much?” He knew that the state held him as an example to strike fear to such an extent that people would silence themselves. He was arrested in 2014 for his opposition to Operation Green Hunt, the name of the extractive campaign launched under the Manmohan Singh government to steal the mineral rich lands of the indigenous people in Central India and hand them over to corporate control – a war by the state on its own people. This war, including aerial bombing of Adivasi villages, continued during the decade Saibaba was in prison.

G.N. Saibaba was jailed by a state that hoped his ideas too would die behind bars. Justice M.R. Shah, who was part of the two-judge bench of the Supreme Court that stayed G.N.S.’s first acquittal in 2022, said, “The brain is the most dangerous thing. For terrorists or Maoists, the brain is everything. Direct involvement is not necessary.” We must not forget this.

InSAF India was formed in response to the arrests of academics, scholars, journalists, artists and activists. Since then, we have grieved for the deaths of Father Stan Swamy, Pandu Narote, and now G.N. Saibaba. To honour their lives, we must carry on living their commitment to justice. We must defeat the strategy of fear deployed by the state to silence truth-telling. Academic freedom is necessary for a just and egalitarian society, but it is seeded, nurtured and sustained by people’s struggles.

We have lost a people’s poet and a public intellectual today, but we have his words, his teachings and his deeds to take with us into the future – a future worthy of being sung in children’s lullabies.

We salute you, comrade!

 

The Philippines/International - Philippine Revolution Web Central/ILPS

 

PRWC: Modi regime responsible for death of Indian academic and human rights defender

 published by Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC).

GN Saibaba, a 57-year-old renowned academic and human rights defender in India, died of a heart attack on October 12. He passed away while being treated at the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital.

Various sectors in India blame the reactionary government for Saibaba’s death. They say this is a stain on the government of ultra-nationalist leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi. International activist Vijay Prashad called Saibaba’s death an “institutional murder–killed by a state that falsely accused him, despite acquittals by one court after the other.”

Saibaba was released from prison seven months prior to his death, after a decade of imprisonment on fabricated charges. In prison, Saibaba, who had a disability due to polio, was deliberately denied proper medical attention. He was repeatedly denied bail, and when he was once released from prison, he was rearrested after a few months.

Saibaba was first arrested in May 2014, along with five others, on charges of violating the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. He was granted bail after a year, but was rearrested on suspicion of his alleged links to the Communist Party of India-Maoist.

The International League of Peoples’ Struggles (ILPS extended its highest tribute to Saibaba upon his passing.

“Saibaba, deeply influenced by Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology since his student days, was a lifelong advocate for a society free from exploitation and oppression,” according to the ILPS. “He stood resolutely against imperialism, exploitative neo-liberal developmentalism, repressive laws, and the State state-sponsored terrorism that perpetuated all these.”

Saibaba was one of the prominent intellectuals who criticized the Indian state’s Operation Green Hunt which was purportedly launched against the CPI-Maoist, but widely attacked the Adivasi people. Saibaba, and many others in India, knew that Operation Green Hunt was just a pretext to evict the Adivasi people from their communities and welcome foreign companies to plunder their ancestral lands’ natural resources.

Aside from his firm stance in support of the oppressed people in India, Saibaba was also known to many progressive international organizations. He was involved in the ILPS’ founding in 2001 and served on its International Coordinating Committee. He actively served in the league for a decade before being illegally arrested and placed in solitary confinement.

At the time of his arrest, Saibaba was teaching at Ram Lal Anand College, Delhi University. He had a PhD in English.

In October, he was convicted of “terrorism” charges, but the conviction was later overturned by a higher court. In March, the cases against Saibaba and his co-accused were finally dismissed.

ILPS
The International League of Peoples’ Struggle, deeply shocked by the news of comrade Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba’s untimely passing on October 12, 2024, extends its heartfelt revolutionary salute in his honour.Born in 1967 in Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh, Saibaba, who was 90% disabled due to polio, passed away while receiving treatment at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad. After being freed from jail in 2024, his health had severely deteriorated due to prolonged torture, degrading treatment, and lack of proper medical care during his incarceration in Nagpur jail. He was held in the notorious Anda Cell under unsanitary conditions, which further contributed to his complicated health issues.

A Ph.D. holder in English, he served as an Assistant Professor at Ram Lal Anand College, Delhi University, for several years before being dismissed in 2021 on charges of involvement with outlawed activities. Arrested in May 2014 for alleged connections to banned Maoist organizations and terrorist conspiracies, he was released on bail in June 2015 due to medical reasons, but returned to jail in December of the same year. After being bailed out again in April 2016, he was subsequently re-incarcerated. In March 2017, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, but in March 2024, he was acquitted once more.

Saibaba, deeply influenced by Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology since his student days, was a lifelong advocate for a society free from exploitation and oppression. To advance these ideals, he actively worked with students, teachers, tribal communities, various nationalities, academics, and mass organizations. He stood resolutely against imperialism, exploitative neo-liberal developmentalism, repressive laws, and the State state-sponsored terrorism that perpetuated all these. His unwavering stance made him a target of persecution, leading to his imprisonment, where he endured severe torture, inhumane treatment, and degradation.

Saibaba, known for his commitment to internationalism, was connected with numerous progressive global organizations. He was involved in the founding of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle in 2001, served on its International Coordinating Committee, and remained actively engaged with the organization for nearly a decade. He was forced into solitary confinement in the Anda Cell to prevent him from communicating with and influencing other inmates, receiving physical support for his disabled body, and continuing his engagement in progressive writings. May the memory of life and work live long and inspire many.

Saibaba wrote:

When I refused to die

my chains were loosened

I came out

Into the vast meadows

Smiling at the leaves of grass

My smile caused intolerance in them

I was shackled again

Again, when I refused to die

tired of my life

my captors released me

I walked out into the lush green valleys

under the rising sun

smiling at the tossing blades of grass

Infuriated by my undying smile

They captured me again

I still stubbornly refuse to die

The sad thing is that

They don’t know how to make me die

Because I love so much

The sounds of growing grass

November 2017.

(Remembering October 1917)

Signed,

Len Cooper, ILPS Chairperson

 

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