Veteran leftist politician Ajay Roy dies at 88

Veteran leftist politician Ajoy Roy has passed away.

Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Mujahidul Islam Selim said that the 88-year-old breathed his last at his Dhaka home around 5am on Monday.

 He was suffering from old age complications.

 Roy was with the CPB until 1993, said Selim. "We deeply mourn his death. He contributed a lot to the Communist Party and the betterment of the common people."

The body has been kept at the mortuary of Dhaka's BIRDEM Hospital, former leftist student leader Bappaditya Basu said.

Roy's mortal remains will be taken to the Central Shaheed Minar on Wednesday for a citizens' tribute.

The veteran leftist leader had actively taken part in movements opposing British rule in India as well as was one of the organisers of Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan.

Born on Dec 30, 1928, in Mymensingh, Roy got involved with the Communist Party while studying in school at India's Varanasi.

After his father's death, he returned to Bangladesh and completed his masters in Economics in 1944.

He then went back to his ancestral home in Kishoreganj and went on to join the Communist Party.

Roy worked with eminent communist leaders of the 1950s, such as Nagen Sarkar, Wali Newaz Khan and Mani Singh.

In 1972, he was elected a member of the CPB's central body during its second Congress. After the CPB split in 1993, he formed a separate party 'Communist Kendra' with Wazedul Islam Khan, which did not last for long.

 In 2010, he formed a civic body 'Sammilita Samajik Andolon'.

Roy had authored several books on Bangladesh covering politics, economy, movements and land management. He was also a columnist.