Lohar’s house in Dalgaon. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

Dalgaon Tea Estate (Alipurduar), April 23: The ghost of the Dalgaon massacre continues to haunt the CPM, especially with the panchayat polls drawing near.

The party has failed to field candidates in the four gram panchayat (GP) seats of the Dalgaon tea garden, once known to be a CPM stronghold. Nor has it filed nominations for the panchayat samiti that consists of eight seats of the Dalgaon GP, including the four in the garden.

Priyanka Deb, the block development officer of Falakata, said the Congress has won three of the Dalgaon gram panchayat seats uncontested. “The fourth has two Congress candidates. The Dalgaon panchayat samiti seat, too, has been won uncontested by the Congress.”

This is in reversal to the CPM performance in 2003. The party had then won six of the eight seats in the Dalgaon gram panchayat — four in the garden itself — while the RSP bagged the other two.

The same year, in a chilling turn to an employment row, a mob of around 1,000 garden workers set fire to the house of Citu leader Tarakeswar Lohar, where he was conducting a meeting Nineteen of Lohar’s henchmen were burnt alive. Lohar escaped the wrath of the workers, over whom he had once ruled, and was arrested on murder charge.

In April 2004, more than 5,000 workers of the garden switched over to the National Union of Plantation Workers, an affiliate of the Congress’ Intuc. The change in power equation can be best understood by the abandoned house of Lohar. Once the seat of power, the house is the most profound symbol of Citu’s downfall after more than two decades in power, a garden worker said.

Soon after the massacre, even chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had warned the Citu of the consequences of indulging in corrupt practices.

Goutam Toppo, who works in the garden factory, cannot forget the nightmare during the days of Lohar. “Lohar used to torture us. His men used to beat up the local boys for nothing.”

Another worker said Lohar also held salishis and meted out “punishment” to the guilty. Mahanand Lakra, an NUPW leader, claimed that the switch in loyalty is here to stay.

“One can see it for oneself. They (CPM) haven’t filed any candidate for the gram panchayat seats,” said Lakra.