Shamsher Singh Sheri

Shamsher Singh Sheri (1942 — 30 October 2005), commonly known by his nom de guerre, Karam Singh (Hindi pronunciation: [krm sɪŋɦ]), was a communist leader in India.

Early life and family

Sheri was born in the village of Khokhar Kalan, in the Sangrur district, Punjab. Soon after his birth his father died. He belonged to a middle class peasant family. He had six brothers and three sisters. He married Harbans Kaur in 1951. Harbans was nine years old at the time.

Guerrilla life

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).

In the early 1980s 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).