Somnath Chatterjee Dead: Former Lok Sabha Speaker Donated His Body For Medical Research, Mortal Remains to be Kept at CPM Office For Last Respects
89-year-old Chatterjee breathed his last at 8:15 am today.
New Delhi, Aug 13: CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury informed the mortal remains of former Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee will be kept at party office for last respects. Yechury said Somnath Chatterjee's body will be taken to West Bengal and handed over to a hospital because he had donated his body for medical research.
"Somnath Chatterjee, along with many other party leaders, had donated his body for medical research. Before that, the mortal remains will be kept at party office where last respects will be paid to him. Then the remains will be taken to West Bengal assembly," Yechury told news agency ANI. 89-year-old Chatterjee breathed his last at 8:15 am today.
"From West Bengal assembly, the body will be handed over to hospital. The final programme will be decided soon after consulting with his family," Yechury added. Chatterjee was suffering from a kidney ailment and was put on ventilator support on Saturday. He suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in July. Born on July 25, 1929, Chatterjee was a ten-time Lok Sabha MP.
Chatterjee was one of the longest-serving parliamentarians in India. He served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009. He also won the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1996. He has been associated with the CPM for most of his life. However, he was expelled from the party in 2008 when he refused to resign as the Speaker after his party withdrew support to the UPA-I government.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 13, 2018 12:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).