Over 40 years agu, the British rulers tried to strangle the Indian comen nist movement in its infancy by instituting the Cawnpore and Meerut conspiracy triaks Today. India's ruling classes resort to the same conspiracy provisions of the obsolete colonial law as part of their offensive aguinst the revolu tionaty forees.
The Parvatipuram conspiracy case, a trial of national sunil ance, has just begun in yisaknaparnam in Andhra Pradesi Implicated in it are 68 prominent. communist revolutionaries and they are charged with conway до oversnron me gavernmens neonsa armed strugale.
The case relates to the Srikakulam peasant struggle of 1968/70. In Stikakulam, peuple participated in a large measure in the stuggle against feudat oppression and landlord exploitation. The struggle resulted in o oroeramme of land rodistr ibation amu. the emergence of red power' over a contiguous 600 square mile area in a string of liberated villages.
The ruling classes retaliated with fascist methods. Large tracts of the Srikakulam area were declared "disturbed" areas to suspend the applicability of sofial laws and beesl procedures there Thousinds of people were herded into concentration campsor regrouped in Vietnam-type strategic hamlets, Unarmed pepple were shot down, roos were burnt and women were raped by the police, Hundreds of leaders and tunctionaries of the connu nist revolationary moverent have been ratting ly required in the months 10 come. in prison without trial for over thcce years. The trial has at long last begun, but it will drag on for a feu years. The prosecution has cited a record number of witnesses-1,024 of them; and produced a mountain ot evience on paper- 19 volmes of printed material, and 2,500 pages of mimeograplied material.
To moet this onstaught on the revolutionary forees, the Andhra Pradesh Communist Committee (Revolutionaries) has ser up a commitlee to help the defence M Ilo Paralgurun concomacy cas trial. The commsillee needs your political and financial help, which can he sent to Indiaa Appeal', clo Red Weekly, 182 Pentonville Road, London N1. All dorations will be ackooaledged,