Jagjit Singh Sohal

Harsh Thakor

Jagjit Singh Sohal alias Sharma, one of the premier leaders of the Communist Revolutionary Movement of India and one of the pioneers of the Naxalite movement and CPI(ML) in Punjab, passed away on October 20th, after dodging the police for almost six decades.

Sohal, who hailed from Shampur village in Sangrur district, was a contemporary of Jagir Singh Joga, Satpal Dang and Harkishan Singh Surjit. He was part of the Communist Party of India when it was headquartered in Lahore.

He devoted with unflinching resilience seven decades from his 96 years long life to the revolutionary struggle on behalf of the downtrodden and exploited masses. When Jagjit Singh, as a resident of Shahpur village in Sangrur district, entered his youth, the communist movement, which was battling to extinguish the exploitive system, was sweeping at a wave creating a new history of people’s liberation struggles across the world. In India too, the revolutionary struggles under the Communist leadership were rapidly intensifying as a coherent force to abolish the oppressive system based on extreme injustice and inequality. The tenant peasant movement of Pepsu (Patiala and eastern Punjab princely state union) was shimmering by heavily smashing headquarters of feudalism. At that time, a large number of young people sacrificed their personal careers and joined the communist movement to shape the future of the whole society. The family of Jagjeet Singh was also associated with the communist movement inspired Jagjit Singh into turning into a communist. Jagjit Singh also relinquished his post of a primary teacher in young age and decided to devote his life to the cause of people’s liberation. After that decision, there was no looking back.

At a very young age, he associated himself with the Pepsu movement and was dedicated to the task of realising the dream of true people’s democratic state through the revolutionary resistance of workers and peasants. From the Lal Communist Party of Hind Union, CPI, CPM and CPI (ML) to the present Maoist stream he shimmered the red torch for a glorious history of seven decades.

With his firm theoretical dedication based on an intensive study of communist ideology, he rose from the ranks of an ordinary party member to become a prominent leader at the Punjab and India level, holding historical responsibilities at various leadership levels in the communist revolutionary movement.

After Charu Majumdar’s death, he became general secretary of the central organising committee of the CPI (Marxist–Leninist) in 1974. Since then, he led an underground life. He became active at the very advent of the Naxalite movement in Punjab and was an integral part of the founding leadership team of the CPI (ML).

He played a pivotal role in uniting the communist revolutionary forces divided into groups by self critically reviewing the left sectarian political line and practice of the CPI (ML) in the 1970s, correcting the errors and recognising the historical achievements. Instead of dogmatic rhetoric, he was sincere in his understanding of the concrete situation of the country. With relentless courage and enduring tenacity he steered activists to valiantly withstand the wave of merciless attacks of the state.

Earlier this year in February, it was the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Central Organising Committee of the CPI (ML), of which Sohal held the post of secretary. The significance of Sohal’s contribution was his role in the self-critical report of the Central Organising Committee in 1974, which paved the way to rectify the trend of left adventurism within the Communist Revolutionary camp, and the formation of groups like CPI (ML) Party Unity, People’s War etc. Sohal, in tandem with Suniti Kumar Ghosh and Kondappali Seetharamiah made a critical review of the policy of ‘annihilation of class enemies’, and the slogan ’China’s chairman is our chairman.’

From 1983 he operated as a central leader in the CPIML (Party Unity). Till the last straw he rejected the parliamentary path.

His five-decade-long underground life was an example of the resilience, sacrifice, and conviction of communist revolutionaries who ignited the spark of the New-Democratic Revolution in India.

“Sharmaji was hale and hearty till his last breath, standing beside the oppressed and had no regrets,” said his wife Vimal, who while doing PhD at Panjab University, Chandigarh, in the late sixties, also went underground with him. Sohal was eulogised in a Punjabi biographical novel “Panna Ekk Itihaas Da” by Baru Satwarg.

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Frontier
Vol 57, No. 27, Dec 29, 2024 - Jan 4, 2025