To commemorate the immense sacrifices of the Indian people in the Great War of Indian Independence (1857-59), to take the pledge of continuing the struggle for genuine independence ahead, and for that to intensify struggle to overthrow the rule of the pro-imperialist big capitalists and big landlords, thousands upon thousands of the people from different parts of the country assembled at Meerut on May 10, 2007. It was from Meerut that on May 10, 1857 Indian people began the heroic war which overthrew the colonial rule over a large part of the country. Today is the 150th anniversary of that great war which shook the world and demonstrated the strong yearning of Indian people to be masters of their destiny.

The processionists came from different parts of the country, from Punjab, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Orissa, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Uttaranchal.

A good number of people from villages which had participated in 1857 war and faced severe repression from the colonial rulers also participated in the procession and the meetings. A significant number of people including intellectuals of Meerut joined the rally on its route and participated in the programme.

The procession stood in stark contrast to the jumboree organized by the Indian Govt. less to honour, more to mock the great sacrifices of the Indians in that great war. What they can’t ignore they are trying to distort. The assembly also sent a strong message that the task of the great countless martyrs in still unfinished. The pledge of freeing the India is yet to be redeemed.

The procession started from Meerut City Railway Station and wended its way through the city. It was led by the leaders of CPI(ML)-New Democracy from different states and members of 1857 Martyrs’ Memorial Committee (Meerut) and intellectuals from Meerut and elsewhere. The long procession raising slogans went through the old parts of the city including the crowded Clock Tower and walked to the Marytrs’ Memorial at Delhi Road where the assembly congregated to pay their floral tributes to the martyrs. Leaders of CPI(ML)-New Democracy from different states, members of 1857 Martyrs’ Memorial Committee and prominent intellectuals paid floral tributes at the Column.

From the Martyrs’ Memorial the procession winded its way to the Agrasen Bhawan (near K.K. Inter College), the venue of the public meeting. The meeting started with revolutionary songs. Shri Raghuvansh Tyagi, convenor of the 1857 Martyrs’ Memorial Committee welcomed the participants at the meeting venue and Prof. Subhash Tyagi conducted the proceedings of the meeting. Cultural activists from UP, Orissa, Punjab and Bihar rendered revolutionary songs to enliven the proceedings.

At the start of the meeting, on behalf of 1857 Martyrs’ Memorial Committee certificates were presented to the descendants of villagers who had participated in that great war. Shri Gangasharan a resident of one of the five ‘rebel villages’ spoke on behalf of the villagers and briefly recounted the sacrifices made by the residents of these villages. Lands of the people of these villages was forcibly taken away and later some of it was returned only on payment of penal revenue. He accused that the Govt. of insincerity towards sufferings of people in 1857 as no steps have been taken to restore the land to sufferers any where and in these villages even the penal rent charged then has not been returned.

Public meeting was addressed by Com. Darshan Singh Khatkar, Secretary, Punjab State Committee of CPI(ML)-New Democracy, Com. Umadhar Singh, leader of CPI(ML)-New Democracy from Bihar, Com. Aparna, Secretary, Delhi Committee of CPI(ML)-New Democracy, Com. Ashish Mital, Secretary, UP State Committee of CPI(ML)-New Democracy, Dr. V. K. Patole, National Secretary of IFTU, Com. H.S. Sandhu, President of AIKMS and Prabhat Rai journalist.

The speakers paid glowing tributes to the memory of the martyrs and held that 1857 Great War of Independence was neither a Sepoy Mutiny nor an outburst of the feudals, it was war of Indian people for freedom in which peasantry being crushed under the colonial yoke had played major role. Speakers also highlighted how the British colonial rulers destroyed the Indian manufacture to prepare the markets for the British industrial goods. It is not the British industrial goods which paved the way for their military conquest, rather it was their military conquest which paved the way for their goods. British colonialists heaped on unbearable burden on the peasantry by sharply increasing the land revenue, bringing all the land under the tax net, and by fixing the revenue on whose non-payment the right of dispossession was taken. This led to growth of moneylenders aligned to colonial power. Speakers highlighted that the colonial role had impoverished the country. British colonial rule was exploitation of India in the interest of a foreign country which had destroyed the country.

The speakers also criticized the Indian ruling parties which are trying to subvert the lessons of 1857 war. They are propagating that 1947 marked conclusion of the heroic war of 1857 and are coining tasks which have no relevance to the struggle of 1857. But in fact the rulers are implementing the pro-imperialist policies which are increasing the burdens of the people. They are forcibly acquiring the land of the peasants, while their economic policies are leading to suicides by peasants and increasing joblessness among the workers. Imperialist stranglehold is tightening in all spheres of life. Now the retail trade is being targeted by the foreign and domestic corporates. People, particularly peasants and workers, are rising in struggles against these policies. It is the revolutionary struggles of the peasantry which are carrying forward the legacy of the martyrs of 1857. Like these martyrs who had taken up arms against the colonial oppressors, the Indian people are rising in struggle which the Indian rulers are trying to suppress through brute force. People are resisting this onslaught on their struggles. 1857 lives in their struggles. On the other hand, ruling parties which do not hesitate to unleash most brutal repression on the people and keep armed gangs to attack the people’s struggles, preach “non-violence” to disarm the people and rob of them of their land, rights and means of livelihood.

The meeting closed with the resolve to carry forward the legacy of martyrs of anti-colonial war of 1857-1859 by intensifying the new democratic revolutionary movement to overthrow the rule of big bourgeois, big landlord classes and eliminating the imperialist exploitation and feudal oppression of the country and the people.