Mr. Sukamal Bhattacharya, affectionately known to one and all as “Rana” passed away on July 2, 2020 due to a heart attack. The Lok Raj Sangathan deeply mourns his untimely death and expresses its condolences to his elder sister, other family members, friends and associates.
Rana has been an active member of the Lok Raj Sangathan ever since he joined it in 2003. He was a member of the Maharashtra Council of LRS as well as the Secretary of its Thane Committee and a member of the Bhiwandi Committee.
He was born in Thane and spent most of his life there. Rana was well known among hundreds of Thanekars due to his social and genial nature. He was a pillar of strength to all who knew him and could be depended upon to help out in all sorts of difficulties.
Active in many social and cultural organisations, he always took pro-people stands and participated in all the campaigns that Lok Raj Sangathan organised. Whether it was getting ration for Adivasis in the rural areas of Thane district, for agitating for better facilities in Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Kalwa and Thane, campaigning against privatisation of essentials like education, railways, and electricity distribution, or against felling of trees, Rana would be an active participant. He was involved in the campaign that Lok Raj Sangathan took up against communalism, in successfully stopping the organised mayhem unleashed every year in the Rabodi area of Thane. He was also actively involved in the historic march of 15,000 people in Bhiwandi that Lok Raj Sangathan, Bhiwandi Committee took up a couple of years ago to protest against the rape and killing of Asifa and the rape of the young lady from Unnao. During the period of the lockdown, he was involved in distributing food among migrants returning home.
Rana understood that the root cause of the monumental problems that the people in our country face is due to their marginalisation from political power. That is why, as his friend said in the Memorial Meeting organised by the Maharashtra Council of Lok Raj Sangathan on July 7, Lok Raj Sangathan gave him a purpose in life.
We members will greatly miss this committed and dedicated member and leader of the Thane Committee and his ever-cheerful presence. We will try our best to actively pursue the cause of people’s empowerment that was so dear to him.
