Com. Kishore Kumar of Garwa of Jharkhand, one of our veterans, founder of the Party in the Palamu region, passed away on September 30 in a Ranchi Hospital.

Garwah District Committee in Jharkhand held a memorial meeting on 14 October to pay tribute to Comrade Kishore Kumar who died on 30 September. The meeting was chaired by his daughter Comrade Sushma Mehta, former chairperson of Garwah District Council and a member of the Jharkhand State Committee of the Party. Colleagues and comrades of Comrade Kishore Kumar shared their inspiring memories. Comrades Dipankar Bhattacharya, Manoj Bhakt, Janardan Prasad, Vinod Singh, Dhirendra Jha (General Secretary, AIARLA), Gopal Ravidas (CCM and MLA from Phulwari, Bihar) and other leaders paid homage to the departed leader.

Dipankar said in this address that Comrade Kishore Kumar played a leading role for decades in building the CPI(ML) and carrying forward the anti-feudal awakening in the Palamu region that was once notorious for cruel feudal oppression and mass destitution and starvation. As the struggle grew, bonds of solidarity emerged among students, teachers, employees, landless rural poor and fighting youth from oppressed sections. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Comrade Kishore Kumar was one of the most prominent faces of IPF/CPIML in the region even in the electoral arena. He will be remembered for his dedication and inspiring leadership by the younger generations. He talked about the crucial role played by Comrade Kishore at initial stage of party development in Palamu. He said that sadly the party lost him at the time when we are facing threat from fascist forces and it is up to young comrades to carry forward his legacy.

His revolutionary journey and struggles will continue to inspire us all.