People's Democracy

  Comrade Amal Ghose Dastidar

VETERAN trade unionist and former state secretariat member of the Assam state committee of CPI(M), Amal Ghose Dastidar died of cerebral haemorrhage at Bangoor hospital in Kolkata on the night of May 16. He was 74 and was suffering from diabetes and heart-aliments. He leaves behind his wife and son. Amal Ghose Dastidar was the former general secretary of the CITU, Assam state committee.

The Assam state committee of the CPI(M) deeply mourned the death of Amal Ghose Dastidar and paid respectful homage to the departed leader. In a statement issued on May 17, the Party conveyed its heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the bereaved family members of Comrade Dastidar.

Comrade Amal Ghose Dastidar played a pioneering role in building up trade union movement and the CITU in Assam. He made tremendous contributions at the formative stage of the CPI(M) in the state.

Born at Borisal in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1931, Comrade Dastidar came to Assam before partition with parents and settled in undivided Darrang district.  He joined the undivided Communist Party in 1951 and after the split in the Party in 1964, he joined the CPI(M) and took initiative in organising especially the tea-workers in the state. Comrade Dastidar was instrumental in organising the Akhil Bharatiya Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ABCMS). Although he joined as a school-teacher, he left the service later as per Party decision and worked as a whole-time worker of the Party.  He was the CPI(M) state committee member since the first state conference of the Party. Later he played a leading role in the Party and became the state secretariat member. During the black days of Emergency, he had to go underground and worked hard for the Party and trade union movement. He was also jailed on several occasions while building up movements on the rights of the workers and employees.

Due to his ailing health, the 18th  state conference of the CPI(M), held in February last at Sorbhog, relieved him of the Party responsibilities. In the month of March, he left Assam and decided to stay with his wife and son at Kolkata.

The state committee decided to observe 3-day condolence in the state as a mark of respect to the departed leader. (INN)