Prominent trade union leader V. B. Cherian, who passed away on Saturday in a city hospital, was laid to rest at the premises of the Marxist Communist Party of India office premises, near Aluva, on Sunday in the presence of a large gathering of party activists and friends. The body was brought to the party office on Sunday morning from his home in the city and lay in state for the public to pay their last respects. Prominent among those present at the funeral were CITU leaders M. M. Lawrence, K.N. Gopinath and former Rajya Sabha member Chandran Pillai. Aluva MLA Anwar Saddat, AITUC leader K.C. Prabhakaran and Planning Board member C.P. John were also present. A condolence meeting held after the burial saw trade unions leaders recalling Mr. Cherian’s courage in the face of great opposition and his ability to stand by his convictions. He had no two faces and called a spade a spade.
