Comrade Ashok Kumar Karmakar

Comrade Ashok Kumar Karmakar, aged 55, passed away from a brain stroke on October 7, 2007. Comrade Karmakar was first a Science teacher in a reputed high school in Tinsukia (Assam). He was a member of Power Sector Party group in Tinsukia. He was one of the organisers of the Assam State Power Workers’ Union. He was an active trade unionist and had attended the founding conference of AICCTU held in Bombay. He had led the struggle against the privatization of power sector and the proposed Electricity Bill in 2003. He was jailed during the movement against state repression by the Congress CM Hiteshwar Saikia. He was also very active in the movement against ESMA in ASEB.

He had scripted and acted in many street plays, and was one of the founder members of ‘Sadou Assam Jan Sanskritik Parishad’. He had been an investigative journalist too.
Karmakar was noted for his role in restoring communal harmony in Tinsukia during the Assam movement in the eighties. He also intrepidly collected reports of arson of Hindi speaking communities at the hands of the ULFA.

Karmakar’s versatile skills, his humility and courage will all be missed deeply.

Red Salute, Comrade Karmakar!

Comrade Sukhmal Bhuiyan

Comrade Sukhmal Bhuiyan, an active party member and a retired Vice Principal of Tinsukia College died of a sudden cardiac arrest on 19 October at a nursing home in Tinsukia. He was 61. A committed social worker and former head of Geography Deptt. in Tinsukia College, he was once the District Party Secretary of Tinsukia and District Convener of AICCTU. He was jailed for his active participation in the movement against privatization of Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum. He was also sent to jail during the eighties for burning the effigy of Hiteshwar Saikia, then Chief Minister of Assam. He was active in the movement against the privatization of Tinsukia Electric Supply.

Long Live Comrade Sukhmal Bhuiyan!