By IANS,
Agartala : Iconic Marxist leader Brajamohan Jamatiya, one of the founders of the Communist movement in Tripura, has died, his family said. He was 106.
Jamatia, a widower, died at his residence at Manu in southern Tripura Friday night from old age ailments.
Elected to the state assembly twice, he is survived by five daughters and three sons, a family source said.
The tribal leader joined the undivided Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1950 and switched over to the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in 1964.
Jamatia, who led a spartan life, was jailed eight times and spent about a decade in prison, a CPI-M statement said.
He remained underground for many years. It was in prison that Jamatia became a literate.
Jamatia was cremated Saturday afternoon at his ancestral home at Manu, 145 km south of here.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar mourned his death.
“He was a leading soldier against terrorism and a warrior who sought to establish peace and ethnic harmony,” said Sarkar, also a CPI-M politburo member.