People's Democracy

Comrade Sheopat Singh

AIKS leaders with their departed leader Comrade Shoepat Singh

Vasudev

ONE of the vice presidents of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), president of its Rajasthan state unit, member of Rajasthan state secretariat of the CPI(M) and former MP, comrade Sheopat Singh breathed his last on March 26. He suffered a heart attack at about 4 a m in his village Makkasar and was immediately rushed to Hanumangarh hospital where he died at about 3.45 p m. He was 80.

Comrade Sheopat Singh was born on January 27, 1927 in his maternal grandfather’s home in village Lakha Haakim while his ancestral village was Daulatpura. His father, Chaudhari Hariram, was an MP from Bikaner during 1977-80. Comrade Sheopat Singh was a good athlete in his student life. Influenced by the anti-Congress, anti-Jansangh political leanings of his family, he struggled all his life for the cause of workers, peasants, youth and students – inside the state assembly and outside. Starting his political career as a panchayat pradhan, he was elected to assembly from Hanumangarh in 1957, 1962, 1977 and 1985, and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989. While he raised the issues concerning the people in the assembly, he led several of their militant struggles outside. He opposed the auction of lands in the Bhakra canal area and went to jail in 1959; many peasants got land as a result of this struggle. When a dalit, Kurdaram Harijan, died in police custody in 1962, comrade Sheopat Singh covered a distance of about 600 km with the dead body, broke many police cordons in Ganganagar and on his way to Jaipur, and forcibly entered the assembly building. He did not rest till the guilty police officials were punished. During the severe famine in the state in 1968, he led thousands of peasants and lakhs of cattle in a raid on the Suratgarh agricultural farm. In 1970, he opposed the auction of lands in the Indira Gandhi Canal project area. More than 20,000 peasants were arrested, comrade Sheopat Singh’s whole family was put behind bars, and 15 peasants were martyred in this agitation. After the then AIKS president, late Comrade A K Gopalan, intervened and visited the area, more than one lakh peasants got land. 16 acres were given per family. It was because of the hard labour of these very peasants that the area is today known for its agricultural produce. Comrade Sheopat Singh led a peasant agitation for loan waiver in 1988 and another in 1993 following the ravages due to a flood in the Ghaggar river. In 2002, he led a successful agitation on the issue of supply of Gang Canal water. The other agitations he led included one against the firing at Kisan Hostel in Sikar killing Comrade Kanaram, a padav at the Secretariat in Jaipur on power supply issue (1997), and gherao of the assembly by one lakh peasants (2000). Nobody can forget the valuable contribution of comrade Sheopat Singh in the peasant agitation during the first phase of Indira Gandhi Canal project (2004-05), when 6 peasants were martyred, and more than a thousand were put behind bars; and to the historic mahapadav at Jaipur from September 1 to 8, 2005, in protest against the hike in power tariff. He also played a role in the struggles of other toilers in and outside the state. He went to jail in 1962, 1965, 1975 and on several other occasions while leading mass struggles. He spent three and a half years in jail.

His 50 years long career of struggles endeared comrade Sheopat Singh to many, and the toiling people of Rajasthan have lost a popular leader. Though he was born in a rich peasant family, he emerged as a beloved leader of the poor people because of his role in raising their issues with courage and determination. He was elected AIKS vice president at its national conference in 2005. He devoted almost 18 hours everyday to the party and Kisan Sabha work in the last two years despite suffering from blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.

On March 26, the whole state was in grief as soon as the news of comrade Sheopat Singh’s demise spread out. People from all over Rajasthan began to reach his village Makkasar. AIKS joint secretary N K Shukla, Haryana CPI(M) state secretary Indrajit Singh, Haryana Kisan Sabha general secretary Harpal Singh, members of the Rajasthan state committee and secretariat of the CPI(M), leaders of the CPI, chief minister Mrs Vasundhara Raje Scindia, assembly speaker Ms Sumitra Singh, canal minister Sawar Lal Jat and state minister for agriculture Surendra Pal TT paid floral tributes to the departed leader. MLAs and leaders of various parties and mass organisations bid him a tearful farewell before his dead body was consigned to flames amid loud slogans.

Before the cremation, the late comrade’s eyes were donated to a hospital as per his will. The funeral procession was joined by a large number of people including thousands of women.