Comrade Madan Singh
CPI (ML) Uttar Pradesh Standing Committee member and senior Communist leader Comrade Madan Singh passed away at the age of 58 on 6 September 2017 on the way to hospital from his home in Amethi. Earlier during the night he had woken up from sleep complaining of uneasiness and breathlessness; possibly he had suffered from a heart attack. When he was brought to the hospital the doctors declared him dead on arrival. Some years ago he had suffered a brain stroke but had recovered to a considerable extent after treatment and he once again threw himself into political and organizational work. He had responsibilities for the Party’s work in Sitapur, Faizabad, Ambedkarnagar and some other districts in Awadh.
Comrade Madan Singh joined the Party in 1982-83 after completing LLB from Lucknow University. He was a good basketball player. Soon after joining the Party he became a full-time Party activist. In the phase when the Party was underground he was involved in bringing out its Hindi publication. Later he took on the mantle of responsibility for the trade unions’ State in-charge and various Party activities in Purvanchal and Western UP from time to time. He carried on the Party’s work as a doughty activist even in the hardest of times and endeared himself to his comrades as an affectionate, sociable, good human being. Young comrades were particularly attached to him. His death is an irreparable loss to the Communist movement. The entire Party along with the UP State unit shares the bereavement of Comrade Madan Singh’s family, friends and well-wishers and pays tribute to him. Red salute to Comrade Madan Singh!
Comrade Yamuna Prasad Poddar
Well-loved workers’ leader Com Yamuna Prasad Poddar passed away on 2 September 2017 after a heart attack. He was 85. Comrade Yamuna, currently a District President of AICCTU, leaves behind four sons and a daughter. His son Amar Kumar is a member of the AICCTU Bihar State Council.
Comrade Yamuna was a fearless and honest worker under whose leadership workers’ struggles were at the forefront in Bhagalpur. He openly challenged the feudal-Brahminic dominance. He was elected District President of the Bihar State Non-gazetted Workers Association (Gope group) in 1988-89 and was jailed for leading workers’ struggles. Associated with the Communist movement from the beginning, Com Yamuna joined the CPI (ML) in 1988-89. He was a member of the CPI (ML) Bhagalpur City Committee from 2002 to 2009. He worked with the Construction Workers’ Union and was elected President in 2006. He was jailed along with 26 workers in 2008 for leading the struggle against police brutalities on workers.
Hundreds of activists and leaders from the Left, trade unions, workers’ organizations, workers, and poor people gathered at his house on 3 September to pay their respects and condolences. He was draped in the red flag and comrades bid him a last farewell at Barari Ghat with the singing of the Internationale. Red salute to Com Yamuna Prasad!
Comrade Siraj Khan
Comrade Siraj Khan, district committee member of Koderma passed away on 11 September in Kolkata while he was undergoing treatment. His lungs and kidneys had been affected by pneumonia and jaundice. He was only 54. Comrade Siraj Khan had joined the party in 2012 and remained active since then. He left his job of truck driver and became dedicated to party work. His activism ensured expansion of the party in the Jaynagar block. He became a household name for the common people of Jainagar and was so popular that even children would lovingly greet him with yells of ‘laal darhi lal bal, lal salam lal salam’ (red salute to red haired, red-bearded man). With his impressive personality, height and henna-coloured hair, he was always distinguishable in a large crowd.
On 12 September thousands of people accompanied him in his last journey including party leaders Vinod Singh, PuranMahto, Shyamdeo Yadav, Sitaram Singh, Bhola Mandal, Ramdhan Yadav and Mohan Dutta and all members of the area who bade him farewell with heavy hearts.
His survived by his mother, wife, two sons and daughters.
His demise has left the party in shock. Red Salute to Com. Siraj Khan!
Comrade Ajoy Rajknowar
Comrade Ajoy Rajkonwar (58) passed away on 13 September in Chennai, suffering a heart attack. He had been fighting serious kidney and liver diseases for some time and was in Chennai for medical check-up. Comrade Ajoy was a popular, dynamic and courageous workers’ leader, active in the working-class movement in Assam, especially among the workers in the power sector.
He was the founder architect leader of Assam State Power Workers Union and worked to build up continuous resistance movement against privatisation of Assam State Electricity Board. Despite his illnesses, till his death, he continued to carry forward the work of the union. It was under the leadership of Comrade Rajkonwar that a 72-hour historic strike was organised in the power sector of Assam. Comrade Rajkonwar worked hard to ensure the integration of the power workers in the mainstream working-class movement of India.
Comrade Ajoy started his party life as cultural activist of Sadou Asom Janasanskritik Parishad and joined the party in 1982. He enjoyed wide respect amongst party cadre and members as an honest, responsible dynamic and an affectionate comrade. He was elected to the state committee of party. Comrade Ajoy always maintained close relation with various social organisations apart from our class and sectional organisations. With the death of Comrade Ajoy, the party lost a long-standing activist and the working class movement has lost a popular, dynamic and a uncompromising leader of workers. Red salute to Comrade Ajoy Rajknowar!
Comrade Radhamohan Singh
Comrade Radhamohan Singh, member of CPI(ML)’s Dhanbad district committee, passed away in the morning of 17 September at Jalan hospital, Dhanbad. Comrade Radhamohan had suffered a severe heart attack in the late night and was taken to the hospital. He was 60. He suffered a second heart attack in the early morning during treatment and expired. Comrade Radhamohan had suffered a polio attack that had affected both his legs. Despite this he was a very active comrade in party work, trade union work and in organising mass movements. Moving 5 to 10 km every day on wheel chair was his regular routine. He joined the party in 1984. The passing away of Comrade Radhamohan is a huge loss for the party. He is survived by his wife and three daughters. Red Salute to Comrade Radhamohan!
Comrade Ramautar Choudhary
Comrade Ramautar Choudhary, 74, passed away on 17 September in Begusarai. He was a veteran communist cadre revered by the people both inside and outside left circles. We pay our tributes to him and pledge to strengthen communist movement to fulfil the dream he cherished.
