Obituary
Comrade Subodh Narayan Choubey
a veteran leader of the State Government Employees movement in Jharkhand, passed away on 7 March, 2012, at Dumka. He had been suffering a kidney ailment for the past three years.
Comrade Choubey had played a crucial role in building the employees movement in the Jharkhand region of unified Bihar, working closely with Comrade Yogeshwar Gopein battling the opportunist CPI(M) leadership and reorganising the employees movement under the leadership of the CPI(ML).
After the formation of Jharkhand, Comrade Choubey was one of the main architects who shaped the Mahasangh (federation) of State Government employees in Jharkhand.
Beyond the employees movement, too, he played an important role in developing the Party in the Santhal Pargana region, and was a member of the Dumka district committee of the party since its formation in the mid-90s.
Comrade Ramesh Verma
a member of the party’s Giridih district committee, passed away on 22 February 2012 in a hospital in Kolkata. He had been suffering from cancer of the liver. Comrade Ramesh joined our party nearly a decade ago, and since then he had been playing a leading role in developing the party and movement in the Gandey assemble segment of Giridih district. He had successfully won over struggling people from different political backgrounds, towards the CPI(ML).
An impressive rally in Gandey on 28 February against loot and terror and for people’s rights, paid homage to Comrade Ramesh.
Comrade Parul Debnath
a member of the party’s Khoribari (Darjeeling) local committee and popular leader of women’s struggles, passed away untimely of an unfortunate domestic accident on 27 February.
She had been an activist of the CPI(ML) led by Kanu Sanyal for nearly a decade, joining CPI(ML) Liberation in 2004. A mid-day meal worker, she was popular as a radical activist, and was always prompt and bold in intervening on issues of women’s rights and violence on women. She passed away soon after returning from the party’s West Bengal State Conference.
A memorial meeting was held for Comrade Parul at Mailanijot in Phansidewa block on 18 March, attended by a large number of local people, as well as by CPI(ML) CCM Comrade Abhijit Majumdar, State Committee member Comrade Basudev Bose, AIPWA State President Comrade Gauri De, and Jalpaiguri district secretary Comrade Subrata Chakravarty.
Comrade Bansidhar Rai Ghatwar
a veteran comrade of Behali in Sonitpur district, (Assam), passed away from a stroke on 1 March. He was 78.
Comrade Bansidhar joined the party in the 1980s, since the inception of our work in Behali. When the party was underground, his house and family was a party shelter, and the whole family was involved in the party’s work. His two brothers and two sons continue to be active in the party.
Comrade Bansidhar played a leading role in all movements in the district. He was an active member of the Telanganiya local party committee.
In 1992, he was elected uncontested as a gram panchayat member. He had been active in anti-corruption movements in the panchayat, and in people’s struggles against erosion of Borgang river. He was one of the organisers of the Grameen Shramik Santha (AIALA).
Comrade Vidya Ram
an activist of Chipura Kala village, Sampatchak block of Patna district, passed away from liver cancer at the age of 60 on 15 February 2012.
Comrade Vidya Ram joined the party in 1985 and remained a lifelong activist of the party ever since. A resident of Fatehpur originally, he was forced to relocate to Chipura Kala due to feudal harassment.
A memorial meeting was held in his village to mourn his passing.
Comrade Jayshankar
Block Committee Member of Naugarh, Chandouli in Uttar Pradesh, passed away on 15 March.
Comrade Shanti of Lakhimpur
a veteran woman comrade active since the early days of the movement, passed away from cancer early this year.
Red Salute to all the departed comrades! Long live their memory!