“Veteran tribal leader and former Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] MP comrade Lahanu Shidwa Kom died in Palghar on Wednesday (May 28, 2025) following a brief illness,” the party said.

“Kom (86), who represented the then constituency of Dahanu in the district in the Lok Sabha, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital for the past ten days,” it said.

Mr. Kom had also been a member of the Maharashtra Assembly and former State vice-president of the Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha. A lifelong champion of tribal rights, he served as president of the Adivasi Pragati Mandal, an organisation working to educate tribal children. He is survived by his wife Hemlata, son Subodh, and daughter Sunanda.