CPI(ML) expresses deep grief at the passing of Comrade Akhilesh Singh Thakur, a veteran party leader from Rudrapur, at the age of 83. He passed away on 9 December, after meeting with an accident a few days earlier and undergoing treatment in a Bareilly hospital. Born in Ballia (Purvanchal), he came to Rudrapur in his youth and made it his lifelong home.
Comrade Akhilesh walked a long political journey through CPI and CPM before joining CPI(ML), where he remained committed until his last days. His small shop was once a vibrant adda for socialists, communists, and leaders of workers’ and farmers’ movements across the Terai. Many prominent Purvanchali activists of the region were regulars there. In 2005, he opened his roadside house–shop to serve as the office of the Construction Workers’ Union. For decades he participated without fail in all party programmes, union activities, and joint political and social initiatives.
Comrade Akhilesh’s steadfast commitment to the cause of the working class will always be remembered.
