Having turned 80 earlier this year, Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat remained as active and committed as ever. He continued to participate enthusiastically in Party programmes, organisational work, and people’s struggles, inspiring comrades with his unwavering dedication, simplicity, and revolutionary spirit. His sudden passing is an irreparable loss to the movement.
Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat attended the national executive meeting of the All India Kisan Mahasabha on 2–3 July 2026. On 1 July, while changing trains at Loharu railway station on his way to Jhunjhunu, he fell down. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors detected minor fractures in two ribs and advised him to rest at home. However, he refused to go home and decided to rest at the meeting venue itself. By the morning of 2 July, his health had improved considerably, and he attended the first session of the meeting for two hours.
On 3 July, after the meeting concluded, while preparing to return to Delhi, he reported some difficulty in breathing. He was immediately seated in a jeep and was being taken to hospital accompanied by the Comrades Raja Ram Singh, Phoolchand Dhewa, Purushottam Sharma, D. Harinath, and Anand Negi. The hospital was only five minutes away from the meeting venue. However, within barely two minutes, he suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away while seated in the front seat of the jeep. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead. He was then taken to another nearby hospital, where doctors again declared him dead.
Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat’s son, Parminder Singh Gehlawat, stated that in 2015 Comrade Gehlawat had suffered two severe heart attacks and had been on a ventilator for a week. After those attacks, his speech remained impaired for the next few years, including during the historic farmers’ movement, but had recovered by 2023.
From the hospital, Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat’s mortal remains were brought back to the meeting venue in Jhunjhunu. There, members of the Kisan Mahasabha’s national executive paid tribute to him by draping him in the red flag. His body was then brought from Jhunjhunu to the CPI(ML)’s parliamentary office at 21 Meena Bagh, Delhi.
A condolence programme was held there from 9 to 11 a.m. the next morning. The party’s National General Secretary, Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya, members of the Kisan Mahasabha national executive, leaders and activists of the Delhi party organisation and AISA, several leaders of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, leaders of Left parties in Delhi and his family members paid floral tributes to him. Thereafter, his funeral procession was taken to his ancestral home in Dhirpur, Delhi. His last rites were performed at 12:30 p.m. at the cremation ground in Dhirpur. The SKM and several affiliated farmers’ organisations sent condolence messages on the passing of Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat.
Among those who paid tribute were CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, leader of the parliamentary party Comrade Raja Ram Singh, Member of Parliament Comrade Sudama Prasad, Comrade Arun Singh, the leader of the CPI(ML) legislative party in the Bihar Assembly, CPI(M) leader and former MP Hannan Mollah, P. Krishna Prasad of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), Rajan Kshirsagar, the President of the AIKS (Ajoy Bhavan), Arjun Prasad Singh of the Krantikari Kisan Union, R. K. Sharma of the All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangathan (AIKKMS), Vimal Trivedi, National President of AIUKS, the Delhi State Secretary of the CPM, Comrade Rajesh representing IFTU and AIKMS, Neha, AISA’s National President, who was then on a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, Prof. Gopal Pradhan and Pranay Krishna from Jan Sanskriti Manch, Sanjay Joshi of Navarun publications, teachers’ leader Uma Rag, journalists Bhasha Singh and Mahendra Mishra, and CPI(ML) leaders and cadres from Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Also present were Kisan Mahasabha office-bearers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Punjab, Odisha, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh with many others from across the country.
Political Journey of Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat
His contact with the then underground CPI(ML) was established during his youth days, by then he was running a small pharmaceutical factory in Loni, a town in Uttar Pradesh adjoining Delhi. One of his friends, Dr. Prem Singh, practised medicine in Meerut and was connected to Comrade Ishwarchand Tyagi, then CPI(ML)’s Uttar Pradesh State Secretary. It was through Dr. Prem Singh that Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat came into contact with Comrade Ishwarchand Tyagi. Dr Yashpal Rana, from Dhaka village in Delhi, was also part of their circle of friends. Comrade Ishwarchand Tyagi often came to Dhirpur to meet Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat and Dr Yashpal Rana. At times, Comrade Gehlawat also travelled to Meerut to meet them.
He came into direct contact with the party organisation in Delhi in 1986. From then onward, he joined the Delhi unit of the Indian People’s Front (IPF) and entered active politics. During the second Delhi State Conference of the IPF, held in Malkaganj in 1986, he became the Vice-President of the Delhi IPF. At this conference, he bore the responsibility of organising the arrangements.
Later, at the IPF national conference held at Shah Auditorium in Delhi in 1988, he undertook major responsibilities for managing the event. Later, he also assisted Comrade Rameshwar Prasad, who had been elected from the Arrah Lok Sabha constituency on the IPF banner, in his parliamentary work. He subsequently closed his pharmaceutical factory and became a full-time party worker.
From the historic ‘Daam Bandho-Kaam Do’ rally at Boat Club in 1990 to every phase of the historic farmers’ movement, and through all major events held in Delhi, his work continued. As long as Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat was present, party leaders and farmers’ leaders across the country associated with the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha reposed complete trust in him to manage major events in Delhi. He took responsibility for every difficult task and completed it successfully. In 2002, the party entrusted him with responsibilities on the farmers’ front, when it formed a national coordination committee by bringing together its state-level farmers’ organisations from across the country. At a national conference held in Patna on 10 May 2010, this coordination committee emerged as the All India Kisan Mahasabha. Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat was elected its Vice-President, a position he held until his last breath.
He was also the party’s in-charge for Haryana. Comrade Gehlawat was among the founding leaders of the AIKSCC and the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha. He was a member of the National Coordination Committee of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, a member of the National Coordination Committee of the Land Rights Movement, a member of the National Coordination Committee and Secretariat of the All India People’s Forum and a member of the headquarters team responsible for the functioning of the CPI(ML) Central Office.
Despite health problems from 2015 onwards, he participated actively in every party and farmers’ movement programme. From 2017 to 2019, despite poor health, he remained fully involved in the 10,000-kilometre ‘Kisan Mukti Yatra’ conducted across the country under the leadership of the AIKSCC.
Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat’s spirit, courage and contribution to the Indian revolution will always be cherished.
CPI(ML) Liberation extends its deepest condolences to his family, comrades, friends, and all those who had the privilege of working with him.
Red Salute to Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat.
Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat’s ancestors were among Delhi’s first victims of land acquisition.
When the British decided to make Delhi their capital, they acquired the lands of several villages for what is now the seat of power in India - the ‘Lutyens Zone’. One such village was Malcha, the village of Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat’s ancestors, situated within the 1,800 acres of land acquired by the British.
Chanakyapuri, now home to numerous foreign embassies, stands on the land of Malcha village. After displacement around 1906, most families from the village moved to Haryana and established a new village named Malcha. However, Comrade Prem Singh’s great-grandfather chose to settle in Dhirpur, Delhi, the village of his relatives. Today, this village lies close to Delhi University.
The British shifted to their new capital, Delhi, in 1911. They did not provide adequate compensation to the farmers of Malcha after acquiring their land. Even today, some members of the fourth and fifth generations of those displaced from Malcha continue to fight for compensation for their ancestors’ land.
Condolence Messages
“… No meeting was ever as engaging without him. From the days of the AIKSCC and its journeys to the evolution of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), he not only represented the views of AIKM with unwavering conviction but also offered insightful analyses of the positions taken by various organizations. Even when his observations digressed from the immediate subject, they invariably remained relevant and gave everyone much to reflect upon.
“His contribution was not confined to discussions alone. During massive public gatherings, he would remain on his feet for hours, personally overseeing countless organizational arrangements, a demanding responsibility that he carried out with remarkable efficiency despite his advancing age.”
— AIKMS (All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha)
“There could be no more fitting farewell for a revolutionary who dedicated every moment of his life to the struggles of India's peasants, workers, Adivasis, Dalits, and all oppressed people. He remained active in the movement until his very last breath. …
“Throughout his life, he stood uncompromisingly against corporate land grab, forced displacement, the destruction of forests, and the dispossession of farmers, Adivasis, forest dwellers, and rural communities. He believed that the struggle for land was inseparable from the struggle for democracy, constitutional rights, and people's sovereignty over natural resources. ... Even after turning eighty this year, Comrade Prem Singh never slowed down. He travelled tirelessly, attended meetings across the country, guided younger comrades, and continued to organise people with the same passion and humility that defined his political life.”
- Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (BAA)
