Comrade Pawan Sharma, senior leader of CPIML passed away 30 January at 4 pm. He suffered a cardiac stroke a day before in the evening after which was admitted in a hospital in Patna where angioplasty was performed though his condition remained critical. But we hoped he would recover soon.

Comrade Pawan Sharma led many struggles of rural poor and peasants in Magadh region of Bihar. His role was crucial in building the party organisation during the decades of 1980s and 90s.

Pawan ji, as he was known to everybody, served on the Central Committee and the Polit Bureau of the party as well as serving as Bihar State Secretary of the party and vice president of All India Agricultural & Rural Labour Association.

His body was kept in Patna in party's Legislative office for paying tributes. On 31 January, his last journey started at noon to Bans Ghat cremation grounds. His cremation was attended by CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya and many other leaders.

The brief condolence meeting organized at 12 noon was attended, apart from party leaders, by renowned physician PNP Pal, Dr Pushpendra from TISS Patna, CPI State Secretary Ramnaresh Pandey and Ghaznafar Nawab, CPIM CC members Arun Mishra and Ganesh Shankar Singh, Forward Bloc leader Amerika Mahto and others. The condolence meeting was also addressed by Comrade Pawan Sharma's daughter Manju Sharma, his brother Shatrughan Sharma, his long-standing comrade and friend Palit Ghosh and his grand-daughters Maitri and Urvashi.

Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya said that Comrade Pawan Sharma's sudden death comes as a huge blow to the entire party. He was not ailing from any serious illness. The recent past has been a very difficult time for us, during which we lost senior leaders like Comrade Arvind Kumar Singh, Comrade Ramjatan Sharma, Comrade BB Pandey, Comrade Kshitish Biswal, and now Comrade Pawan Sharma. Comrade Pawan Sharma was one of the comrades from the party's early days who built and carried forward the party.

Building a party like the CPIML in a state like Bihar was indeed a difficult task, but Comrade Pawan Sharma stuck to the task and always stood in service of the party and the people. He discharged his responsibilities as member of the state committee, central committee and Politburo. For many years he was Bihar State Secretary and looked after party work in the whole of Bihar.

Fascism has emerged as a big danger in the current national situation. There have also been mass movements by farmers and youth. We need Comrade Pawan Sharma today as much as in the early days of the party. He is no longer with us but his ideology and his legacy will always be with us to motivate us. We pledge that we and the coming generations will carry forward his work.

Comrade Pawan Sharma's daughter and Patna High Court lawyer Manju Sharma said that his life was full of difficult struggles and great achievements. It is also significant that he was born in a religious family but was himself a true communist. He used to tell us often about his life in the party and motivate us to walk on the path of truth and justice.

Accompanying Comrade Pawan Sharma on his final journey were his wife Chandeshwari Devi, grand-daughter Samriddhi, daughter Kavita Sharma, brother Bharat Sharma with his wife Dharmasheela Devi, nephews Samarkant, Rohit, Rashmirathi and Kundan, and nieces Rani, Meenakshi, Rohini and Vaidehi and other family members. The final journey from Chhajjubagh was made on foot and Comrade Pawan Sharma's mortal remains were consigned to the flames at 2 pm on 31 January.
We pay him revolutionary farewell.

Red Salute to Comrade Pawan Sharma.