Agri Workers Union Leader and Art Critic, Suneet Chopra, Passes Away

New Delhi: Suneet Chopra, a well known face in the art world and a leader of the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) passed away on Tuesday. The octogenarian leader collapsed on his way to the AIAWU office here, ahead of the massive Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Rally to be held on Wednesday at Delhi’s Ramlila Grounds.

Extending condolences to his family and mourning the sudden death of its former joint secretary, AIAWU said in a release that was a known face of struggles for agricultural workers and rural poor in India and had led numerous movements across the country.

A much sought-after art critic, who wrote regular columns in national dailies and magazines, Chopra was also general secretary of the All India Indo-Korean Friendship Association.

“His demise is a big loss, not only to the communist movement, but the entire democratic and progressive movement in India. The AIAWU dips its red flag in the memory of Comrade Suneet Chopra,” the organisation said in a release.

Chopra was introduced to the communist movement in his student days in School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS) in London. After completing his education there, he joined the liberation movement in Palestine. Later he joined the Centre for Studies in Regional Development in Jawaharlal Nehru University and got involved in student politics. He was one of the persons who drafted the JNUSU constitution, the release added.

From the student movement, Chopra joined the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) during its inception and was elected as its founding treasurer in 1980. “He was also elected to the Central Committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1995,” AIAWU said.