Ahmedabad: Civil rights activist Gautam Thaker passes away at 73

Ahmedabad-based civil rights activist Gautam Thaker passed away at his home early on Saturday. He died following a heart attack. A book on articles by experts in the labour sector, compiled by him, was scheduled for release on Saturday. He passed just hours before the release. Thaker would have turned 74 next Tuesday.

His colleagues in People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and Movement For Secular Democracy (MSD) as well as from all walks of life paid him rich tributes. Thaker's last rites were conducted in the afternoon. A condolence meeting will be held at 6:30 pm on Monday at Ahinsasodh Bhavan of Gujarat Vidyapith.

Thaker was suffering from heart diseases and was undergoing treatment at a city hospital. He was discharged last Sunday. He complained of chest pain around midnight on Friday and was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead at about 3:45 am.

Thaker's father, Dasrathlal Thaker, was a freedom fighter. He began his career as a bank employee and rose to become a union leader of Central Bank of India. After late Natwarlal Shah became the Speaker of Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Thaker led all the unions of banks in the state.

"Thaker took part in anti-Emergency freedom movement. Many of the leaders were arrested but Thaker was told to stay low profile and that is how he managed to be a link among other leaders, keeping communication channels alive," said Prakash N Shah, president of PUCL in Gujarat.

Mahesh Pandya, member of national executive of PUCL said that Thaker was very active on Friday as his book was to be released on Saturday. The book 'Ajvala Ane Avkash – Asangathit Kaamdaorni Duniyama Dokiyu' is a compilation of articles by experts in the unorganized labour sector.

"He took on all governments, advocating the rights of Dalits, tribals, women and children. He created awareness about the rights enshrined to citizens in the Constitution of India. He was greatly influenced by the ideas about liberal humanism of revolutionaries like M N Roy as well as that of a total revolution of Jayprakash Narayan," said Hemantkumar Shah, member of national executive of PUCL.