Alvida Mamu, Comrade Onkar Bahuguna, RIP

Comrade Onkar Bahuguna popularly known as MAMU in Pauri township, a close friend of the then famous journalist of Amar Ujala, diabolically killed by the liquor mafia in Pauri Garhwal’s Hotel Sun N Snow in 1988, who organised a massive movement by mobilising journalists of Uttarakhand and Delhi leading to a CBI enquiry and subsequently arrests of the culprits, is unfortunately no more. He breathed his last just two days ago after a prolonged illness.

Comrade Onkar Bahuguna alias Mamu was one of the founders of Umesh Dobhal Smriti Trust, an organisation of progressive journalists which felicitates a hard core professional journalist working at the ground level, every year on the anniversary of Umesh Dobhal thus remembering the values, ethics and principles for which Umesh Dobhal laid down his life fighting the liquor mafia of Garhwal exposing them for their bad deeds tooth and nail along with Comrade Onkar Bahuguna and Comrade Rajendra Rawat, of Pauri Garhwal.

Comrade Onkar Bahuguna alongwith Comrade Rajendra Rawat organised a massive movement of journalists often becoming the target of the liquor mafia, even attacked number of times, but never bowed down, fighting them bravely.

They fought the vast network of liquor mafia in Pauri, Garhwal during eighties and nineties, as brave hearts and finally brought them behind bars, despite the hard fact that no one in Garhwal dared to speak a word against them.

Comrade Onkar Bahuguna, journalist Umesh Dobhal and comrade Rajendra Rawat, trio, were close friends engaged in exposing the illegal and ill conceived designs and secret unholy alliance of the liquor mafia and wood smugglers active in Pauri, Garhwal minting huge profits through illegal means in collaboration of senior police officers whose palm were greased regularly.

Umesh Dobhal used to expose this mafia who were hell bent upon searching an opportunity to lynch the journalist and finally succeeded one day on the unfortunate month of March 1988, in Hotel Sun and Snow sending shock waves around.

A thorough gentleman, down to earth and affable natured Comrade Omkar Bahuguna being quite active to expose the liquor mafia along with journalist Umesh Dobhal was also attacked several times, lucky enough to save himself.

After Comrade Onkar Bahuguna organised a massive movement in Pauri, Garhwal by mobilising local journalists, even leaders like Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna and Narayan Dutt Tiwari supported the journalists’ movement to demand CBI enquiry into the diabolical murder of Umesh Dobhal.

Rallies were organised at Pauri Ram Lila grounds with senior journalists like Rajesh Joshi, ( worked in Jansatta then and BBC later on ), Comrade Shamsher Singh Bisht, senior journalist and activist Ram Swaroop Verma, even Swamy Agnivesh etc participating in various agitations including at Pauri grounds.

The media caught ultimate attention and the demand for CBI enquiry was highlighted finally compelling the then Uttar Pradesh government to recommend for the high level CBI probe.

Sunil Negi, president of Uttarakhand Journalists Forum alongwith his colleagues viz Rakshpal Singh Baghel, Dr. Idreesh Qureshi, Mr.Singla, Rajendra Shah, Rajesh Nautiyal also undertook a hunger strike at boat Club broken by the then political stalwart H. H. Bahuguna. The author used to meet Comrade Onkar Bahuguna at his house near St. Thomas school, Pauri, on way to Gumkhal while in Pauri.

He used to feel very happy. Also being a die hard fan and supporter of the then towering political leader H. N. Bahuguna, Comrade Onkar Bahuguna along with his his friends extensively campaigned for him in 1982 elections when HN Bahuguna contested against Congress candidate Chandra Mohan Singh Negi backed by then PM Indira Gandhi.

This parliamentary election was a most prestigious one with Indira Gandhi’s, prestige at stake. Bahuguna had finally won this election by 30000 votes postponed after rigging by Haryana goon. Five CMs were deputed by Indira Gandhi then against Bahuguna, but despite training all guns, she lost and H. N. Bahuguna, won, catching main headlines of all national dailies.

A freak by nature, Comrade Onkar Bahuguna was leading a modest life having lost his both the friends quite before. The journalistic fraternity and his friends would definitely be missing him whose memories will always remain fresh in everyone’s mind. RIP