->Arjun Madathiparambil Muraleedharan at 17:46, 30 November 2021

2021-11-30T17:46:10Z

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{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
'''Abdul Sattar Ranjoor''' (born 12 October 1917, dead 23 March 1990) was a [[Kashmir]]i politician, and a renowned revolutionary poet and writer. He was a veteran leader of the [[Communist Party of India]] (CPI). Ranjoor was the founding state secretary of the party in [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]].<ref name="Khurshid1994"/><ref name="a">''Early Times Plus''. ''[http://www.earlytimeplus.com/newsdet.aspx?q=619 CPI pays tributes to Com Ranjoor on death anniversary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502004329/http://www.earlytimeplus.com/newsdet.aspx?q=619 |date=2 May 2014 }}''</ref> He served as a National Council member of the party.<ref name="Congress1972">{{cite book|author=Communist Party of India. Congress|title=Documents of the Ninth Congress of the Communist Party of India, Ghatenagar, Cochin, 3 to 10 October 1971|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q_O17l3HVA8C|year=1972|publisher=Communist Party of India; copy from People's Publishing House|page=414}}</ref>

==Biography==
Ranjoor was born on 12 October 1917 in Keegam Shopian.<ref name="r">{{cite book|title=J & K Yearbook & Who's who|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zSBuAAAAMAAJ|year=1983|publisher=Rabir Publications|page=21}}</ref> He took part in the struggle against Autocratic Dogra rule.<ref name="Dhar2005">{{cite book|author=D. N. Dhar|title=Kashmir, a Kaleidoscopic View|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p0NuAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 2005|publisher=Kanishka Publishers, Distributors|isbn=978-81-7391-730-1|page=154}}</ref> He was active in the Ahmadi movement between 1934 and 1937. In 1939 he joined the [[Jammu and Kashmir National Conference]].<ref name="r"/> Ranjoor also played an important role in building up the peasant movement in the [[Kashmir valley]].<ref name="a"/> He was jailed in 1942 for his role in the peasant movement.<ref name="r"/> He was accused in the Pulwama Conspiracy Case, and went underground for over a year during the Quit Kashmir movement.<ref name="r"/> During this time his home was frequently raided and looted by Dogra regime. Ranjoor was also a noted Urdu poet.<ref name="Dhar2005"/><ref name="n"/><ref>{{cite book|title=Trade Union Record, Vol. 48|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qXjtAAAAMAAJ|year=1990|publisher=All-India Trade Union Congress|page=xlviii}}</ref> Whilst living in [[Lahore]] for a couple of years, he had been close to the renowned poet Sir [[Muhammad Iqbal]].<ref name="n">''New Age Weekly''. ''[http://www.newageweekly.com/2013/04/in-memory-of-com-ranjoor.html In Memory of Com Ranjoor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325184653/http://www.newageweekly.com/2013/04/in-memory-of-com-ranjoor.html |date=25 March 2016 }}''</ref> who was instrumental in infusing social and political activism into Ranjoor's life and poetry.

In 1949 he left the National Conference, and founded the underground Communist Party organisation in Kashmir.<ref name="r"/> He was arrested in 1951. In 1953 he became vice president of the Democratic Youth League. In 1957 he joined the [[Democratic National Conference]]. In 1962 he became the vice president of the Jammu and Kashmir Kisan Sabha.<ref name="r"/>

Ranjoor contested the 1962 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election, standing as a Democratic National Conference candidate in the Rajpora seat. According to the official report, he finished in second place but obtained merely 188 votes (0.8% of the votes in the constituency).<ref>Election Commission of India. .''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1962/StatRep_JK_1962.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1962 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR]''</ref> Actually he and DNC boycotted the elections just days before voting due to unprecedented violence unleashed by Bakshi Regime. Hence this election became infamous for fraud and massive rigging by the ruling party.<ref name="Widmalm2014">{{cite book|author=Sten Widmalm|title=Kashmir in Comparative Perspective: Democracy and Violent Separatism in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T-9QAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA50|date=8 April 2014|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-136-86701-9|page=50}}</ref>

In 1966 he became the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Kisan Sabha. He also became the Organising Secretary of CPI in Jammu and Kashmir in the same year. He served as the editor of ''Hamara Kashmir'' ('Our Kashmir').<ref name="r"/>

He contested the Shopian seat in the 1967 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election, standing as a CPI candidate. He finished in third place with 2,807 votes (16.93% of the votes in the constituency).<ref>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1967/Statistical%20Report_Jk_1967.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1967 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR]''</ref> He again stood as a candidate in Shopian in the 1972 election, finishing in third place again but increasing his result to 5,160 votes (25.87%).<ref>Election Commission of India. ''[http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1972/StatisticalRep_JK_72.pdf STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1972 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR]''</ref>

In his later years Ranjoor withdrew from active politics due to old age.<ref name="Khurshid1994">{{cite book|author=Salman Khurshid|title=Beyond terrorism: new hope for Kashmir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PlBuAAAAMAAJ|year=1994|publisher=UBS Publishers' Distributors|isbn=978-81-7476-019-7|page=62}}</ref> and to focus on his poetry. However, he remained socially active and his native home continued to be an open house where commoners could go to seek his help and guidance. He also continued to be member of National Council of Communist Party of India. On 23 March 1990 militants barged into his house in Keegam Shopian. Ranjoor was shot and died instantly.<ref name="Khurshid1994"/><ref name="Dhar2005"/><ref name="n"/> He was 73 years old at the time of his death.<ref>{{cite book|title=Islamic Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r9IXAAAAIAAJ|year=1990|publisher=Institute of Islamic Studies|page=85}}</ref> Ranjoor's all works and Autobiography is available at www.ranjoor-kashmiri.com

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranjoor, Abdul}}
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:1917 births]]

Abdul Sattar Ranjoor - Revision history

->Arjun Madathiparambil Muraleedharan at 17:46, 30 November 2021