COMRADE Sailen Dasgupta breathed his last around 9:10 p m on June 10, at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. He was admitted to the hospital on July 3 and underwent a bypass surgery successfully on July 5. But three days later he had a cardiac arrest and, due to asthmatic condition, his respiratory system was severely affected leading to multi-organ failure.

The body of Comrade Sailen Dasgupta was taken to Kolkata on July 11 by an Indian Airlines flight. Braving a heavy downpour, a large number of CPI(M) leaders and supporters turned up at the airport to receive the body.

The coffin was carried from the aircraft to a waiting hearse by CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Biman Bose and state party secretary Anil Biswas who had, along with industries minister Nirupam Sen, finance minister Asim Dasgupta and other party leaders, accompanied the body from Mumbai. Comrade Sailen Dasgupta’s wife, son and daughter also came by the same flight.

The body was kept at the state party headquarters Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan, Alimuddin Street, for enabling party workers and leaders to pay their last respects to the departed leader. The funeral took place on July 12.

From the party centre, Polit Bureau members S Ramachandran Pillai, Prakash Karat, P Ramachandran and Sitaram Yechuri attended the funeral.