Former West Bengal Minister Ujjal Biswas Dies At 72

Former West Bengal Minister Ujjal Biswas passed away on Wednesday after a prolonged illness at the age of 72.

The former West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, had announced the death of her former cabinet colleague in a social media statement and condoled the death of Biswas.

Biswas was undergoing treatment at a hospital for three weeks. He was on full ventilation support for the last few days.

After bypass surgery, he suffered a brain stroke, and since then, he has been facing one after another physical complications. The medical report of the doctors on Tuesday mentioned that the physical condition of the former minister, who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kolkata, was very critical.

Expressing condolences over her former cabinet colleague's death, Mamata Banerjee said that she was deeply heartbroken by the passing of Ujjal Biswas.

"He was far more than a colleague in public life. We shared a close and enduring bond built over many years. As a former Minister, MLA and a dedicated member of the Trinamool Congress family, he devoted his life to the party and, above all, to the service of the people. His unwavering loyalty, commitment and years of selfless service made him an invaluable part of our family. His passing is a deeply personal loss and leaves a void that cannot be filled," Mamata Banerjee said in her social media statement.

According to her, what made Biswas's demise even more painful was the ordeal he was forced to endure in the final months of his life.

"He was brutally attacked a few months ago. He was kept behind bars for 49 days, implicated in false cases and subjected to immense physical and mental suffering. I still remember when he came to meet me and recounted the torture, humiliation and intimidation he had endured simply because he refused to abandon his political convictions or switch sides. The pain in his words is something I will never forget," said Mamata Banerjee.

"His suffering is a chilling reminder of the politics of vengeance, intimidation and persecution that the BJP has unleashed in Bengal. When political loyalty becomes a reason for persecution, when false cases are weaponised to break people's spirit, and when those who refuse to surrender are made to suffer, it is democracy itself that stands wounded. No political rivalry can justify such cruelty. No government has the right to turn the machinery of the state into an instrument of political retribution," Mamata Banerjee added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)