4 min readJaipurFeb 26, 2026 04:27 PM IST
First published on: Feb 26, 2026 at 04:27 PM IST
Last June, a frail man in his early 90s approached a demonstration in Rajasthan’s Ganganagar district, where the farmers were protesting for irrigation water. The man could barely speak or move freely, so he attended the protest while sitting in a car.
That man was Hetram Beniwal, one of the strongest voices of farm and labour movements in Rajasthan in recent history. Following a brief illness, he passed away at around 11pm on February 23 and was laid to rest at his native village, 8 LNP in Ganganagar district, the next day. He was 94.
Born in 1932, Beniwal completed his schooling in Ganganagar and went to Bikaner for higher studies, including a master’s degree from Dungar College. It is said that it was at Bikaner where a teacher introduced him to Marxist philosophy. Beniwal then went to the Jai Narain Vyas University (JNVU), Jodhpur, for further studies. He later joined the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), becoming a leading figure in the student movement and eventually serving as the AISF state president.
The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), the farmers wing of the CPI(M), said that Beniwal’s “leadership during the 1957 student movement was historic”. “At that time, a minister attempted to draw him away from the movement by offering him a lecturer’s position at Maharani College, Jaipur, but he declined the offer and chose instead a lifelong path of struggle for the rights of students, farmers, and workers, fighting for them until his last breath,” the AIKS said in a statement.
The AIKS said Beniwal became a member of the CPI(M) in 1964 and remained a lifelong member, serving as a member of the state committee, state secretariat, and as district secretary of Ganganagar.
Over the years, Beniwal was closely associated with several movements in the region: the Rajasthan canal land allotment movement, the Gharsana farmers’ movement for water demands, the JCT mill workers’ movement, and several farmers’ movements related to the Bhakra project and the Gang Canal. “During these struggles, he faced repression and was imprisoned several times, including 19 months during the Emergency,” the AIKS said.
CPI(M) state secretary Kishan Pareek said, “Beniwal had a deep affection for all sections of the people. He fought against feudalism in his teenage years before Independence and played a leading role in the 1970 land satyagraha movement.”
“He led the movements to address the problems and sufferings of workers, farmers, and even market traders. He also got the auctions cancelled in the Indira Gandhi Canal area and gave farmers priority in irrigated land. He continued to fight for a regular supply of irrigation water,” Pareek said. “It is a coincidence that he died on the eve of the death anniversary of seven comrades who were martyred in Gharsana in 2004 during police repression in a fierce struggle for irrigation water.”
Apart from Pareek, Politburo members Amra Ram and Vijoo Krishnan were among the thousands who paid their respects to Beniwal.
Beniwal won his lone election from Ganganagar’s Sangaria in 1990, polling 28,548 votes as a CPI(M) candidate against 20,000 votes of Janata Dal’s Krishan Kumar. He contested from this seat again in 1993, but stood third in a four-cornered contest. He contested his last Assembly election in 2013 from Ganagnagar’s Sadulshahar on a CPI(M) ticket, but placed fifth.
Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, “Beniwal dedicated his life to the struggle for the rights of farmers, laborers, and the common people. His simple and resilient personality will forever remain an inspiration.” Political activist Yogendra Yadav said Beniwal was synonymous with “struggle” in the region of Rajasthan where he grew up.