People's Democracy

  Comrade Prasanna Panigrahi

 COMRADE Prasanna Panigrahi, vice-president of Orissa Kisan Sabha who recently attended the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) conference at Jalandhar, died at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital at New Delhi on March 12. Comrade Panigrahi had fallen ill during the conference at Jalandhar where he was admitted to hospital for a day. Subsequently he was admitted to the RML Hospital in Delhi when he was on his way back to Orissa.

 Comrade Panigrahi, aged 50, was the secretary of the Ganjam district committee of the CPI(M) and a member of the Orissa state committee of the party. S Ramachandran Pillai, president of the AIKS and member of the Polit Bureau of the CPI(M), went to the hospital on receiving the news of his death. N K Shukla, joint secretary of the AIKS, was also present.

 Prakash Karat, on behalf of the Polit Bureau, visited the hospital to pay homage to the departed comrade. Comrade Panigrahi’s body was later flown to Bhubaneswar on March 14.

 The All India Kisan Sabha has expressed its deep sorrow and grief at the sudden demise of Comrade Prasanna Panigrahi, vice president of Orissa state Kisan Sabha and former All India Kisan Council (AIKC) member. Very active and devoted to the cause of the toiling masses, Comrade Panigrahi was very much respected and loved by the masses wherever he worked.  His death is an irreparable loss to the All India Kisan Sabha, particularly for the peasantry of Orissa.  The AIKS dipped its red banner in the memory of Comrade Prasanna Panigrahi and sent heartfelt condolences to his mother, wife and four daughters as well as to its Orissa unit.