Kolkata – Azizul Haque, one of the last towering figures of India’s Maoist–Naxalite movement and a veteran leader of the CPI(ML), passed away at a private hospital in Salt Lake, Kolkata, at around 2:30 PM on Monday. He was 83 and had been hospitalized following a fall at home that resulted in a fractured hand, compounded by long-term age-related illnesses , reported the India Times.
Born in 1942 in Ranmahal village, Howrah district, Haque hailed from a zamindar family but renounced his land early on as a symbolic gesture of his revolutionary commitment . At the age of 17, he joined the Communist Party, becoming deeply influenced by leftist ideology through leaders like Nandagopal Bhattacharya and Vishwanath Mukhopadhyay .
A close associate of Charu Mazumdar and Kanai Chatterjee, Haque emerged as a prominent leader during the Naxalbari uprising in the late 1960s. He helped form the CPI(ML)’s second central committee and, along with Nishith Bhattacharya, attempted to establish parallel “revolutionary governments” in parts of rural Bengal and Bihar .
His radical activism led to multiple incarcerations: first in 1970 under the Parvathipuram conspiracy case, which lasted until 1977, and again from 1982 to 1989 amid allegations of torture in custody . His memoir, Karagare Atharo Bochor (“Eighteen Years in Prison”), chronicled his prison struggles and became a notable political-literary work .
Over time, Haque moderated his positions. Notably, he supported industrialisation efforts during the Singur land acquisition debate, aligning with the CPI(M)’s stance—a move that distanced him from many former comrades . Despite wavering health, he continued writing political essays and columns, maintaining his radical spirit until the end .
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid tribute on X, describing Haque as “a militant, struggling leader…who never bowed his head” and extended her condolences to his family and colleagues .
Azizul Haque’s death marks the end of an era in Bengal’s radical left politics, closing a chapter on the Naxalite movement that once reshaped the state’s political narrative.
