KOLKATA: The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expressed profound grief at the death of a former member of its Central Committee, Mridul De. He died on April 24 after battling cancer for some time. He was 76 years old.
Born in Chattagram in undivided Bengal, Mridul De actively participated in the student movement as a college student and joined the party soon after. In the 1960s and early 1970s he fought bravely against police atrocities. He was jailed twice and was also externed from Darjeeling district for some time.
Later, Mridul De shifted to Kolkata and became a whole timer of the Party. He joined the Party daily Ganashakti, and played an important role in converting the eveninger to a morning daily. A skilled reporter with an eye for detail he worked as the chief reporter of the paper for a long period. He was elected to the West Bengal State Committee of the Party in 1985.