Shrikund/Barharwa::A memorial meeting was organized on Wednesday at the Shrikund High School grounds in remembrance of CPI(M) senior leader and one of Santhal Pargana’s most respected mass leaders, Comrade Iqbal Da. The programme began with floral tributes offered at his portrait. Senior party leader Brinda Karat, Polit Bureau member and former MP Dr. Ramchandra Dome, and State Secretary Prakash Viplav paid homage on the occasion.
Comrade Iqbal Da was a dedicated communist and a highly popular figure among the masses. In the Pakur–Sahibganj region, he was widely known as “Master.” His simplicity, affectionate nature, and readiness to help anyone in distress had become hallmarks of his personality. He began his public life as an organiser of working-class movements and later emerged as a key trade union leader in the region. Under his leadership, workers from transport, bidi, marigold, railway contract labour and other sectors were organized under CITU.
In 1979, he became a member of CPI(M) after coming in contact with Ajit Biswas, one of the founding leaders of the party in Santhal Pargana. He was twice the CPI(M) candidate from Pakur Assembly constituency. At the time of his demise, he was a member of the CPI(M) State Secretariat and Vice President of CITU’s state unit. He had also served as Secretary of the Sahibganj district committee for almost a decade.
Under his leadership, major public issues—such as unsurveyed land in Sahibganj Diara, problems related to Khasmahal, farmers’ issues, and demands for halts of several trains including the Vananchal Express at Gumani station—were taken up through sustained movements. He also played a lead role in organizing relief work for flood-affected people in the Diara region. His deep understanding of local issues earned him respect across political parties, and leaders from other groups often sought his guidance.
Dilalpur, a village in Barharwa block of Sahibganj, was his ancestral home, where he also contributed to education and awareness-building. He was 74 years old and had been battling illness for several months. Despite treatment in Kolkata and Bardhaman, he could not be saved.
The party has suffered an irreparable loss with his demise. At today’s memorial meeting, a one-minute silence was observed in his honour. Members of various district committees of Santhal Pargana, along with his family members, were present. The meeting was presided over by Sahibganj District Secretary Asgar Alam and conducted by Md. Ishtiaq.
A large number of people, including Shyam Sundar Poddar, Gangadhar Yadav, Md. Safique, Md. Sariful Sheikh, and representatives of various workers’ organizations and sections of society, attended the meeting and remembered Comrade Iqbal Da with moist eyes.
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