Veteran Communist leader Drupad Borgohain dies

Veteran communist leader and former parliamentarian Drupad Borgohain died Wednesday at a private hospital in Dibrugarh, family sources said.

He was 78.

The lifetime member of Communist Party of India (CPI) was suffering from cancer and was admitted to hospital a few days ago when his condition deteriorated, they said.

The former Rajya Sabha MP and an MLA from Nazira constituency is survived by wife Amiyo Borgohain.

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia and others condoled the demise of the CPI leader.

"Saddened to know the death of Drupad Borgohain, a veteran mass leader who championed the cause of politics with an undertone of peoples development. His death will definitely create void in socio-political spectrum of the state which will be hard to be filled," Mukhi said.

The Congress, AASU, AJYCP, KMSS and many other social organisations have condoled the death of Borgohain.

Borgohain's body was brought from Dibrugarh to CPI district headquarter at Sivasagar, where scores of his followers paid their last respect.

After that, the body was taken to his hometown Nazira and the last rites were performed there.

Born on November 7, 1941, Borgohain was a teacher by profession and started his career at the Maduri Middle Vernacular School in Sivasagar. He resigned from the teaching job to become a party whole-timer in 1982.

He became a CPI party member in 1963 and was active in the All India Youth Federation between 1965 and 1978 after being elected to its National Council.

The veteran leader served as the Joint Secretary of the Assam State Council of AIYF between 1965 and 1968, then becoming the president of the Assam State Council.