ABSTRACT
Peasant movement in Naxalbari in the foothills in North Bengal known as the terai region came to a close by the end of 1968.1 In 1969, peasant movement flared up in the undivided district of Medinipur (also known as Midnapore2) in the south west of the state. The movement took the form of an upsurge. The rapid spread of the movement in the state astonished many including the forces of law and order. Enquiries were on as to who participated in the movement in Medinipur, and the nature of participation. One can also ask today as to what its legacy has been. This chapter presents an account of the movement in this district. Since we still do not have a proper history or enough data regarding the upsurge in Medinipur in the late sixties and early seventies of the last century, our account will be sketchy. To provide that idea it is important to place the
peasant movement in Medinipur in late sixties of the previous century, also remembered as the Naxal movement, in a longer history of popular movements in the district since independence.
