Comrade Dheer Singh Valmiki breathed his last on January 19 in Patna. He was a leader of sanitation workers and was from a long time in the work of organising sanitation workers for their rights. He was earlier with CPI(M) and joined the party in 1979. During the underground phase his home was a shelter for senior party leaders. Several rounds of talks between former General Secretary of the party Vinod Mishra and Nepal's popular communist leader Madan Bhandari were held at his house.
He was associated with several movements the prominent amongst them was notable role he played in the movement after the murder of Lok Dal ward councillor Shivanandan Chandravanshi of Musallahpur Haat, the movement against the Pipra incident carried out by the Bhoomi Sena in 1980, the movement against the Press Bill in 1982, the movement against the demolition of the huts of the poor through bulldozers in Harding Park in 1983 and the movement against the 59th Amendment in 1988 and others. During these movements he was arrested thrice and remained in jail for several months.
He became the President of Patna Municipal Corporation Safai Mazdoor Union and Bihar Secretary of Rashtra Nav Nirman Sangathan. His wife Shanti Devi was the President of Patna Kamgar Mahila Sangathan. After the formation of IPF, he was elected Secretary of its National Council and became witness to many historic battles fought under the leadership of IPF.
Hailing from Saharanpur in U.P he settled in Patna at a young age after his family shifted. Com Valmiki's demise is an irreparable loss for the party. The true tribute to the comrade would be to carry forward his legacy of struggles. Adieu Comrade Dheer Singh Valmiki!
