Krishna Desai
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Krishna Desai | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Krishna Desai at Tavari Pavda Lalbaug, Mumbai, where he was killed | |
| Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 21 February 1967 – 5 June 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Madhavrao Mani |
| Succeeded by | Wamanrao Mahadik |
| Constituency | Parel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 October 1877 |
| Died | 5 June 1970 (aged 92) |
| Manner of death | Assassination by stabbing |
| Party | Communist Party of India |
Krishna Desai (13 October 1877 - 5 June 1970) was an Indian politician. He served as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly representing the Communist Party of India from 1967 until his assassination in 1970.
He was a Member of Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra, who represented the working-class Mumbai constituency of Parel, then a communist stronghold. Desai was murdered in 1970, and this was preceded by the burning of the office of the CPI-led Girni Kamgar Union. Hansen considers his murder to be the culmination of the Shiv Sena campaign against the communists. His murder was a sign of a Sena victory in its struggle for the domination of unions and politics in Mumbai's working class district.[1][2]
Death
Desai was stabbed to death on 5 June 1970. He was a sitting MLA when he was murdered.[3][4] Seven suspects were arrested on 8 June 1970. Nineteen people were charged and sixteen were convicted for the murder. The accused were defended by Ram Jethmalani. Balasaheb Thackeray's complicity in the murder was never proven. Prakash writes that those convicted were members of the Shiv Sena.[5] According to Dipankar Gupta, the Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray congratulated those who killed Desai, declaring, "we must not miss a single opportunity to massacre communists wherever we find them."[6][7]