Tripura MLA Sudhir Das dead

Agartala, February 16: Veteran communist leader of Tripura and sitting CPI-M legislator Sudhir Das died at a hospital in New Delhi Sunday following a heart attack, a party leader said here on Monday. He was 64.

A two-day state mourning has been announced in the state from Monday.

A former minister, Das is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

"Das died after a two-week battle in the AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in New Delhi and Agartala hospitals. His body was brought back here on Monday and would be kept at the party office in Kamalpur" to eble people to pay their last respects, CPI-M Tripura state secretary Bijan Dhar told reporters.

An official release said: "...the state government declared a half-day holiday on Monday in Kamalpur and Ambasa. Two-day state mourning has been announced from Monday".

Monday's session of the ongoing budget session of the Tripura assembly was suspended as mark of respect to the veteran legislator, who was elected to the house from Surma in northern Tripura's Kamalpur subdivision scheduled caste reserved seat for five times.

Das, also a renowned music composer and footballer, became member of the CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) in 1971.

His body would be cremated with full state honours on Tuesday in Kamalpur, 140 km north of here. (IANS)