Shamsher Singh Sheri

Shamsher Singh Sheri, alias Karam Singh, was a communist leader in India. Sheri was born in 1942 in the village of Khokhar Kalan, in the Sangrur district, Punjab. Soon after his birth his father died. He was married to Harbans Kaur in 1957. Harbans was only nine years old at the time.

Sheri joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and went underground 1969-1970. He took active part in the armed struggle of the party. His wife and sister-in-law were imprisoned for three months and tortured. His brothers and friends were also tortured by the police. In 1974 he joined the Punjab Communist Revolutionary Committee of Harbhajan Sohi, which merged into the UCCRI(ML) in 1976. In 1979 the Punjab State Committee formed a parallel UCCRI(ML).

During the beginning of the 1980\’s, Sheri became the leader of the minority within the organisation. In 1982 he and his followers broke away from UCCRI(ML). In November 1983 they constituted the Revolutionary Communist Centre of India (Marxist-Leninist). Sheri became the Secretary of RCCI(ML). After its 1992 conference, RCCI(ML) was divided in two in 1995. Sheri became the Secretary of one of the factions, Revolutionary Communist Centre of India (Maoist). He was reelected as Secretary at the RCCI(M) conferences in 1996 and 2002. Sher took active part in the setting up of CCOMPOSA.

In January 2003 RCCI(M) merged with the Maoist Communist Centre, which became the Maoist Communist Centre of India. Sheri became a Central Committee member of MCCI. After the merger of MCCI into the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in 2004, Sheri became a member of the Central Committee (Provisional). Sheri died on October 30, after suffering from cerebral malaria and jaundice.