1943 Belle Vue Harel Massacre

In those days the interests of owners and growers of sugar cane were represented by the Labour Department and it was common practice for such conflicts to be resolved via the Conciliation Board meetings.

A conflict of interest was also at play given that Ramnarain worked as a propagandist within the Department of Information which was headed by the Acting Director of Labour who also happened to be Chairman of the Conciliation Board.

As the deadline of 29 September approached the owners and Labour Department had made arrangements with the local police to put an end to the strike.

They decided to proceed to the arrest of PC Thancanamootoo's aggressor but encountered a crowd of between 200 and 300 men, women, and children armed with sticks and stones.

Nine days later on 6 October 1943 a fourth labourer (Marday Panapen) died at the Civil Hospital in Port Louis, as a result of his bullet wounds.

[10] Basdeo Bissoondoyal the social worker and founder of the Jan Andolan movement organised the funeral ceremony of the four victims of the police shootings and it was attended by more than 1500 individuals.

[12] The victims of the 1943 massacre at Belle Vue Harel were commemorated by Mauritian singer Siven Chinien in his song L'année 1943[13] which was released in his 1970s album Ratsitatane, Conscience Noire.