Tales from the Gorkha region: crimes, oppression, and the fading memory of Baburam Dewan
By Siddhartha Mitra, Sanhati. Translated from ShramikShakti, June 2008
“Son, do not feel ashamed about my death; instead, feel proud of it, because this self-sacrifice of mine is for the greater good of the 6000 workers of the Chongtong tea-estate.
We are still able to provide ourselves with two meals a day; but the thought of the frightening situation of the others in the tea-garden is making me unbearably anxious
– these were the words the Baburam Dewan wrote to his son in a letter just before he took his own life.
He was no prominent figure or a leader of any social movement; yet, his self-sacrifice for the sake of his fellow men is significant enough to keep his memory alive in history. He gave up his life so that the deprived, humiliated, and hopelessly poor people of the Chungthung tea-estate of the Mariwang area of Darjeeling could have something to live for and hope for.
In this context, it would be important to explain in detail the situation of the employees in the Chungthung tea garden. The owner of the estate is the notorious Ajit Agarwal, is a close Sonia affiliate. Many terrible accounts of his actions can be heard among the people of the Darjeeling hills. Since 1993, he has been the owner of East-India Tea Company. After becoming the owner, he began to close down the garden in the winter months when the harvest of the tea-leaves would decrease. Keeping the garden closed in the terribly cold winter months resulted in hunger and starvation among the workers at the tea-estate.
On the other hand, these workers were underpaid, and were receiving a wage which was Rs 4.55 below the minimum wage as stipulated by the industrial agreement. The net unpaid wages of the labourers now stands at almost Rs. 70 lakh. Even the Providend Fund money had not been deposited for several years in a row. For the years from 1984 to 2005, the disbursement of the weekly rations, quarter arrangements, health-care arrangements have been irregular and dysfunctional. This desperate and chaotic situation was reflected in the daily lives of the workers of the Chungthung tea-estate.
However, this situation started to change when the tea-workers organizing committee galvanised 1252 workers in protest to claim outstanding wages, gratuity, and other dues. Baburam Dewan came out in the protests, and became one of the mainstays of this effort. He was a retired worker of the Chungthung tea-gardens. Baburam had occupied himself with reading to satisfy his love for literature, and had also started a primary school in the village. Though he was but a resident of a remote village of the hills, the progressive and generous minded Baburam had donated his eyes and other organs for use after his death.
When the protests erupted against the exploitation of the workers, he did not wait to become active in the movement. As a part of the action committee, he campaigned from door-to-door for asking the administration to intervene for the sake of the workers. However, as happens everywhere, the corrupt administration, who indirectly supported the actions of the tea-estate managers, did not take any action. It was while contemplating on how to change this hopeless state of affairs that Baburam decided to take the extreme step.
The morning of 25th February, 2006, started in an ordinary way. But the entire situation changed when the laborers noticed the body of Baburam hanging from the rafters of in the porch of the building where tea-leaves were measured. There was a note hanging from his neck. It was Baburam’s suicide note; a letter in protest. It stated -
My suicide is in protest against Mr. Ajit Agarwal. After me, this number will increase. The administration should immediately take action against this cruel person, because of whom 6500 people are going hungry every day.
Two years have gone by since the death of Baburam Dewan. But the death broke the stillness, and the entire hill-side erupted in protest and anger. At last, under pressure from the agitators, the local authorities were compelled to take steps to re-open the tea-estate. Even then, the overall situation did not improve. There is some debate over Baburam’s death – some say that he could have carried on organising the protests, instead of ending his own life.
But what cannot be disputed is the fact that in the entire hilly region of North Bengal, the estate managers have created a system of oppression and anarchy, which is slowly pushing thousands and thousands of workers to their deaths. Instead of trying to help them in some way, the established trade unions instead are shamelessly becoming a part of the system that exploits the workers, with the administration and the government in active co-operation. One after another, local administration is transferring the ownership of the gardens to the hands of industrialists.
Under the pretext of promoting the lucrative business of tea-tourism and of developing satellite townships, there is an ongoing effort to white-wash the events that have taken place in these gardens. The memory of the uprooting and shooting deaths of five workers in the Chandmoni estate is still fresh in the minds of the people in the hills. Baburam had been so much agitated internally by the peril of the workers, he was driven to find a way to stir them up. Just as the rape and murder of Manorama, the Manipuri woman, had led to the naked parade in public protest by the women of Manipur, and just as Airom Sharmila is continuing her fast for several years in an attempt to have the special military rule in Manipur lifted, so had Baburam been inspired to take the extreme step of giving his life for the struggle of the people.
Baburam was one of the few remaining people who were not able to remain impassive in this world of today where peoples actions are fueled increasingly by greed and selfishness. So even if he did not have a personal role in expanding and organising the protests of the employees of the tea-gardens, the memory of his unselfish love and sacrifice will remain in the hearts of the hard working people of the hills of Darjeeling.