Muzaffar Ahmad, one of the founders of the Communist movement in India, passed away on this day at the age of 84.
He had edited daily Nabajug in 1920 with the poet Kaji Nazrul Islam. Along with his friend Abdul Halim, Ahmad started Communist work within the nationalist movement.
He was responsible for starting many trade unions in and around Kolkata. He was imprisoned several times and spent many years behind bars. He was sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment in the Kanpur Conspiracy Case in 1925 and convicted in the Meerut Conspiracy Case, for which he was released in 1936. By 1940, the Communist Party had spread to all 28 districts of undivided Bengal and the number of party members was rising exponentially. Ahmad had contributed significantly to this.
He was one of the founders of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Party and edited its journal, Ganavani.
Ahmad founded National Book Agency, the Party’s publishing house, and Ganashakti press. He wrote several books. His autobiography is titled Myself and the Communist Party of India.