The Naxalbari movement was an armed peasant revolt that took place in the Naxalbari block of Siliguri subdivision in Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India, in 1967. It was led by tribals and the radical communist leaders of Bengal, and further developed into the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) in 1969. The armed struggle became an inspiration to the naxalite movement which rapidly spread from West Bengal to other states of India creating division within the CPI(M) Party.
The Naxalbari movement was sparked by a series of events that took place in the spring of 1967. On May 25, 1967, a sharecropper of tribal background (Adivasi) who had been given land by the courts under the tenancy laws was attacked by the landlord’s men. In retaliation, tribals started forcefully capturing back their lands. When a police team arrived, they were ambushed by a group of tribals led by Jangal Santhal, and a police inspector was killed in a hail of arrows.
The Naxalbari movement was inspired by the Chinese Revolution and the writings of Mao Zedong. The Maoists believed that the only way to achieve a communist revolution in India was through armed struggle. They also believed that the peasantry, rather than the working class, was the most revolutionary class in India.
The Naxalbari movement was initially successful in mobilizing the peasantry and waging armed struggle against the state. However, the movement was eventually suppressed by the Indian government. The Naxalbari movement continues to be a major challenge to the Indian state today.
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