Veteran Left Leader Samir Putatundu

• 12 Jan 2026

On 11th January 2026, Veteran Left leader Samir Putatundu passed away at a private hospital in Kolkata following a prolonged illness.

• A prominent figure in West Bengal’s Left movement, Putatundu was an influential leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) before leaving the party due to ideological differences.
• He later co-founded the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) along with Saifuddin Choudhury, though the party did not achieve significant electoral success.
• Putatundu played a key role in several mass movements, notably the Singur and Nandigram anti-land acquisition struggles of the late 2000s, alongside Mamata Banerjee.