OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Former Arunachal Pradesh Minister Karma Wangchu died at Guwahati on Thursday at the age of 86 after prolonged illness, family members said here.
He is survived by his wife, three daughters, six sons and many grandchildren.
Born in 1936 at 1936 at Seru in the Tawang district, he served in the Assam Border Ppolice (1959-60) and then as junior Intelligence Officer-II in the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB) from 1960-1976, before joining active politics.
He was elected as MLA in the State's first Legislative Assembly representing Tawang constituency in 1978. He was later elected for three consecutive terms from the constituency from 1980 to 1994 and served in various capacities.
He served as the Pro-Tem Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and as Minister for Health, Transport and Cooperation in the government headed by Tomo Riba. He was the first Minister from the Tawang district and gracefully retired from active politics in 1994.
At the age of 16, he undertook a trip to Lhasa on foot and was fortunate to have an audience with the 14th Dalai Lama at Potala Palace. The mutual bonding continued and was further cemented by the gracious visit of the Tibetan spiritual leader to his residence at Tawang twice in the year 1997 and 2003.
As an Intelligence officer, he was posted along the McMohan line for intelligence gathering and reporting. He was on active duty during the 1962 aggression and was assigned the duty of intelligence gathering attached to the Indian Army in the areas like Bumla, Mago-Thingbu and Zemithang area.
As a representative of the people from 1978-1994, Wangchu worked tirelessly towards preservation and promotion of the rich cultural heritage in the border areas of the State and diligently served the people at the grass roots.
He was a pioneer in taking the government policies and development schemes to the remotest corner and border areas of the Tawang district.
The mortal remains of the former minister were brought to Tawang by a helicopter, family sources added.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has mourned the demise of the former minister.
"Karma Wangchu was a man of incredible & multi-facet talent - an outstanding legislator & philanthropist. He was the first person from the Tawang district to become a Minister in Government of Arunachal. So pained at his demise. Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family," Khandu said in his official twitter handle.
Also watch: