Kamal Kumar Basu (22 August 1918 – 21 January 2013) was a Bengali Indian politician who had served as a Mayor of Kolkata, India between 1985 and 1990.

Early life and education

Born to a progressive family, that included his grandfather, barrister Bhupendra Nath Bose, a former president of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

, he had studied economics at the Scottish Church College, and eventually earned a master's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

, where he subsequently studied law. He had joined a solicitor firm BN Basu & Co after passing law.

Career in politics and social life

At an early age, he joined the

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

and became a Member of Parliament for the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

, from West Bengal's

Diamond Harbour Diamond Harbour is a town and municipality located in the South 24 Parganas district of the Indian state of West Bengal. Situated on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River, it serves as the administrative headquarters of the Diamond Harbour su ...

in the

South 24 Parganas district South 24 Parganas (Pron: pɔrɡɔnɔs; abbr. 24 PGS (S)), or sometimes South Twenty Four Parganas and Dakshin 24 Parganas, is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Alipore previously, with its Zilla Parishad now in ...

in 1952. In 1964, when CPI split up, he joined the

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...

. He was associated with the CPI(M) for over four decades.

Later life

He became Calcutta's mayor in 1985. He was also actively associated with the establishment of Salt Lake Stadium, as a founder secretary of the society for sports and stadium. He used to make on-the-spot supervisions during its construction. He was also a patron of the Mohun Bagan club. During the Sino-Indian War of 1962, he fought a legal battle on behalf of his

comrades who had been detained by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

, on suspected loyalties. He efforts were instrumental in saving the Shobhabazar Rajbari, often described as the native Town Hall, from destruction.

Death

He died in a private nursing home on 21 January 2013 at the age of 94.

Early life and education

Career in politics and social life

Later life

Death

References

Further reading