With deep grief, the Communist Ghadar Party of India announces the passing away of our dear Comrade Ajmer Singh Bains on August 8, 2013, in Coventry, Britain.
With deep grief, the Communist Ghadar Party of India announces the passing away of our dear Comrade Ajmer Singh Bains on August 8, 2013, in Coventry, Britain.
From the day he first held the red banner of communism in his youth, until his last breath, Comrade Ajmer remained a steadfast communist fighter, loyal in defence of the cause of the working class, of revolution and communism. In his passing away, our Party, the South Asian community in Britain and Canada, and the communist and workers movement in Britain has suffered a grievous loss.
Comrade Ajmer was born in Mahilpur, Punjab on February 13, 1933. He joined the ranks of the Students Federation and the Communist Party of India as a militant in his school and college days. Ajmer worked as a teacher in Punjab until he emigrated to Britain in 1964, settling in Coventry. There, after further study, he took up work again as a teacher. Coventry and Britain became his karma bhoomi for the rest of his life.
Ajmer Singh was an active organiser of the Indian Workers Association (Great Britain). For some years he was editor of its journal Lalkar. Ajmer Singh fought against the attempts of those who wanted to divide the Indian Workers Association (Great Britain) on sectarian lines. He always consistently stood for the unity of the Indian workers in Britain in defence of their rights as workers, against racial discrimination. He taught other Indian immigrants that they were an integral part of the British working class, and mobilized them to fight shoulder to shoulder with other British workers, in defence of the rights and interests of the working class.
Ajmer Singh worked tirelessly for the rights of the entire working class and people, defending the interests of the Indian and other national minority communities against racism and discrimination and for their full participation in the political affairs in Britain. Through this work, IWA (GB) emerged in the forefront of political affairs not just in the Indian community, but among all the national minority communities as well as in the entire workers' movement. For many years IWA (GB) hosted the Coventry May Day celebrations, with Ajmer in the chair or as lead speaker. He was also a leader of the Coventry Anti-Racist Committee and of other local organisations, including pensioners groups in later years.
Throughout his active life, Comrade Ajmer always had the cause of the Indian revolution dear to his heart. Together with other Indian communist revolutionaries in Britain, Comrade Ajmer always actively worked to mobilize support in Britain for the victory of the revolution and socialism in India. He was a highly regarded poet, and a writer on political, scientific and cultural matters and editor of literary works.
The Communist Ghadar Party of India salutes the memory of this dear comrade. His life will remain an example and inspiration for us communists. On this sad occasion, our Party sends its condolences to the Revolutionary Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist), in whose ranks he militated in, as well as all the family, friends, and co-fighters of Comrade Ajmer Singh in India, Britain and other countries.