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Letters

Piercing of Cheeks of 20 Children with steel rods
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) found that on the 3rd October, 2016 in Tamil Nadu, the cheeks of about 20 children were pierced with two metre steel rods as part of a ritual for speedy recovery of the then ailing Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Ms J Jayalalilthaa. It has asked the Additional Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, North Chennai, Tamil Nadu to register a case under sections 326/341/34/120B, IPC against those who forced them face this torture. The officer has also been asked to inform about the disciplinary action taken against the erring police officials, who were, admittedly, present at the site and did nothing to stop the criminal act. Further, the Commission has issued a notice to the Principal Secretary (Home), Government of Tamil Nadu to submit a report on the steps taken to stop such rituals.
NHRC, New Delhi

"Guru Prasad Kundu"
This has reference to the Note on ‘‘Guru Prasad Kundu’’ by Somnath Ghosh, [Frontier, Vol 50, No 17, January 7-13, 2018, p.3].
This writer would like to supplement Somnath Ghosh’s observation with a few important contributions that would surely add to Guru Prasad Kundu’s rich remembrance among his friends and confidants. These are :
*   Guru Prasad Kundu was an effective linkman with immense resources for facilitation that helped a safe transit of the underground leaders and transmission of messages. Throughout his political career Guru played an indispensable role while taking crucial care of the party’s most beloved leaders like Charu Majumder, Saroj Dutta and others. It was not an easy task at a time when the most difficult setback was very much on the horizon—the onslaught triggered by the state power goons in uniform [or without] hounding and massacring the revolutionary ranks and sypathisers.
*   Even after arrest, he faced the interrogation bravely and underwent severe inhuman torture without succumbing to the sleuths’ pressure to disclose the underground links that Guru skilfully maintained among the CC/SC members.
*    Incidentally, this contributor happened to see him on an end-August evening at the Central Lock-up Medical Unit—feet, face bleeding profusely, physically shattered, ubable even to stand up; yet his bright eyes were still glowing with fearless nonchalance.
*    He spent five years in jail and was implicated in the 5th Tribunal (not 4th as reported earlier). His sense of humour was rich with juicy jokes that in turn would soften the rigour of the long term confined life for his associates at the Saat Khata block, Presidency Jail.
*    During the incarceration period he along with his fellow activists led a historic hunger strike that lasted for 72 days until the authority acceded to the demands.
Sunish Kumar Deb,
Kolkata

Frontier
Vol. 50, No.35, Mar 04 - 10, 2018