The book, Blood Island by Deep Halder is an account of the massacre at Marichjhapi in 1979, one of the biggest atrocities committed by the Indian State, but is hardly mentioned or known to most of the Indian population. Everyone knows the 1984 Sikh Riots and the Godhra Carnage in 2002 which are mentioned every second day in news and conversations. 1979 was bigger than both of these.
The Communist government of West Bengal engaged in rape and murder to forcibly evict thousands of lower caste immigrants from Bangladesh, who got tired of living in rotten conditions in refugee camps and decided to move to an island and build a new life.
They did not want any government assistance but just wanted to be left alone to live their life. In a short time, they built a strong and vibrant community, till the Left Government led by Jyoti Basu decided to evict them. They poisoned their well, kids were murdered, women were raped and dead bodies dumped into the river. The same left government that once promised these refugees assistance if they were voted into power were the ones that destroyed them.
Why were they dealt with in such a way? Some survivors believe it was because of their caste because the upper caste Hindu refugees who have similarly occupied land elsewhere were not evicted. Some survivors think that it was because they refused to vote for the Left parties and were doing fine on their own without government help, the communist government could not stomach it.
Mamta Banerjee promised to start an investigation after she came to power, but as is common in India, it was an empty promise. Nothing has happened and nothing will.
The author collects and narrates stories from the survivors who even till date are traumatized by the memories of what happened. The perpetrators of these crimes are probably still alive, and so are many of the victims, but there will be no justice because according to the government, nothing of consequence happened…
Maybe this incident doesn’t get much attention, because it was perpetrated by a ‘left government’ and doesn’t fit the narrative of the Marxists and Communist sympathizers who have infested Indian intellectual circles and are purely interested in historical revisionism and framing every incident to fit their ideological narrative. Or maybe because it happened to a marginalized community that the rest of the country doesn’t care for…
Whatever the reasons, Blood Island is a book you must read, and a story you must tell your friends and family, till this piece of history and the year 1979 is etched into the collective consciousness of our society, just like 1984 or 2002.
About the Author : Deep Halder has been a journalist for almost twenty years, writing on issues of development at the intersection of religion, caste and politics. Currently, he is executive editor at India Today Group.
