Instances of sexual assault and coverup of the same are quite common in Leftist circles. We are not the ones saying it, this was said by one such group itself. In 2024, there was a huge controversy involving the Students for People’s Democracy (SfPD) and Nazariya Magazine. A member of Nazariya Magazine had accused another member of such circles, Mukundan Nair, of sexually assaulting her.
What followed was a series of increasingly bizarre statements and counter-statements by members of these groups. We admit that we do not fully understand the communist jargons that feature in these statements. But we understand the English language enough to be able to paint a picture of what actually happened.
Before proceeding further, let me be clear that all information in this report is available in the public domain. They are part of public statements made by one or the other leftist groups. Also, we have removed the victim’s name from the statements we have quoted. Both, the victim and the ‘Urban Naxal’ groups have publicly named the victim. But we are making a conscious decision to not publish her name.
A Brief Timeline of the Sexual Assault allegations
In November 2023, the alleged victim (let us call her X) attempted suicide, unable to deal with the sexual assault she was suffering at the hands of Mukundan Nair. It is pertinent to mention here that X and Mukundan Nair were in a relationship at the time.
Nazariya Magazine formed an investigation committee in March 2024 to investigate the allegations. Forum Against Corporatization And Militarization (FACAM) leaders Ehtmam-ul Haque and Baadal were part of this committee. Baadal then was a member of the Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (bsCEM).
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The investigation concluded in the month of July that year. Mukundan would be required to undergo ‘rectification’. ‘Rectification’ in the context of punishment is one of those Communist jargons we do not fully understand. The committee also issued a gag order, barring the discussion of the sexual assault incident and the charges against Mukundan Nair.
In October, victim X went public with her allegations. She claimed that her allegations were not treated with the seriousness that they deserved. In response, Nazariya Magazine issued a lengthy statement defending themselves, which we will discuss later. The same month, according to SfPD, the magazine circulated the investigation report, that included graphic details of the alleged sexual assault, among individuals without X’s consent.
The next month, Nazariya Magazine expelled X from the organisation. They claimed that X was under the influence of “Imperialist Reactionary Ideology”. They also claimed that X engaged in “non-ideological sexual relationships” and strengthened “patriarchal practices”. They also implied her actions deviated from “communist morality”. We are not sure what “non-ideological sexual relationships” are supposed to mean.
The October Statement by Nazariya Magazine
The October 24th statement by the Magazine in available in Google Docs, which can be read in full here. The statement says in the first paragraph itself, “The basic practice of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism is through the principles of self-criticism/criticism and the principle of unity-struggle-unity for dealing with contradictions within the people.”
At the risk of repeating myself, I would again like to mention that these are some of the jargons that I do not understand. Nonetheless, moving forward, the most significant part of this statement was the admission by Nazariya that they handled the initial complaint by X improperly.
The statement said, “Late around last year, an incident occurred between two members of our organization who were in a relationship. The matter was reported to us and a complaint of sexual harassment was levied against Mukundan. There is no justification for the fact that we incorrectly assessed the matter as a relationship issue between the two, reducing the relationship to an individual matter instead of a political and organizational one.”
Nazariya conveniently blamed ‘Patriarchy’ for mischaracterising the complaint. It went on to add, “Firstly, no proper investigation was done by the comrade receiving the complaint. Secondly, X and Mukundan were discouraged from talking about the issue due to which Comrade X was denied democratic space to not only raise the issue but seek comradeship and support for a harrowing and painful experience.”
The statement also said that X reported a second “violation of consent” in January 2024. It also said that the investigation found Mukundan Nair guilty to sexual harassment and not sexual assault.
Expulsion of Victim from the Magazine
Nazariya announced the expulsion of the victim from its group through a statement in November. This statement was much more combative in nature. The statement described Nazariya as a magazine “dedicated to propagating and upholding Marxism-Leninism-Maoism through the path of the New Democratic Revolution.”
Nazariya also claimed to be “struggling against postmodernism, fascism and the imperialist and feudal ruling class ideology’s assault.” Bewilderingly, the statement described the victim’s expulsion from the group as part of the communist “struggle” against the “Surjakund Scheme” by the “imperialist” and “feudal forces”.
It also described the expulsion as part of the magazine’s larger struggle against postmodernism within its ranks. Nazariya justified the expulsion on the grounds of “ideological disagreement” and “breach of communist morality”. According to Nazariya, “despite repeated discussion and criticism, she was ideological motivated by postmodernist philosophical outlook on sexual relations”. As per the magazine, “she engaged in non-ideological sexual relations driven by the idea of fluidity in relations.”
The statement went on to add, “On one hand, she agreed that the relationship was abusive and hurtful and she didn’t wish to stay in it, but at the same time, reacted with vitriol when this was suggested. This culminated in the strengthening of patriarchal practices within her and eventually into the publication of the issue to settle it as she gave into post-modernist, anti-structural trends.”
Note: This is the first part of the report on the dispute between Nazariya Magazine and SfPD. The second part will be published soon and will focus on the response from SfPD.
