Comrade Haricharan Teli passed away on 12th August, 2012, after a brief illness. He was around 90, and is survived by his son and three daughters. Another of his sons, Comrade Gobinda Teli, was assassinated along with 6 others on 25 February, 1980 at village Hurua, Dharmanagar, Tripura, by the police of Left front government headed by CPI(M) Chief Minister Nripen Chakraborty. A leading activist from the tea tribe, Comrade Haricharan Teli was one of the few comrades in Tripura who joined CPI(ML) early in its underground  days. Party activists and leaders continue to feel at home in his house even today.

Comrade Gobinda Teli, while he was a school student in 1967-68, had been a leading activist of the Tripura Students Federation, which was the state unit of CPI(M)’s student wing before the formation of SFI.

After the Hurua massacre on 25 February, 1980, in which his son Gobinda was assassinated, he took an active role in forming the “Hurua Hatya Birodhi Sangram Samity”, and led a mass rally four days after the massacre. It was under his initiative that the case was properly placed before the Enquiry Commission headed by Justice  A K De, which was able to conclude, based on the testimony and evidence, that the Harua killings were cold-blooded murders by the police. However, the report of the  Enquiry Commission was rejected by the CPI(M)-led Government, and the police officer who led the massacre received praise, as well as promotion and special honours from sucessive LF Governments.

Comrade Haricharan was popular among masses, and he also earned respect from the intelligentsia who hailed his bold and persuasive initiatives. Comrade Haricharan Teli was hard working and even in his last days always felt very inspired by the spirit of the Naxalbari Movement and by the news of ongoing mass movements.

Party leaders  and activists as well as masses gathered at his house to bid final farewell to Comrade Haricharan Teli.

Red salute to Comrade Haricharan Teli!