Ex-Bengal minister Ujjal Biswas dies at Kolkata hospital after prolonged illness

Former West Bengal minister and senior Trinamool Congress leader Ujjal Biswas died at a private hospital at the age of 72 in Kolkata on Wednesday after battling multiple health complications for nearly three weeks.

Biswas was admitted to Fortis Hospital in Mukundapur and had been on full ventilator support for the past few days, news agency PTI reported.

TMC chief and former Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over Biswas' death and described him as a ‘dedicated member of the Trinamool Congress family’. “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,” she wrote in a post on X.

Biswas reportedly developed multiple health complications following a bypass surgery, after which he suffered a brain stroke. He subsequently suffered pneumonia, urinary tract infection and septic shock as his condition worsened.

He reportedly suffered severe kidney dysfunction as well and had been undergoing dialysis. The complications had raised concerns over multiple organ failure, according to medical updates cited by news agency PTI.

Biswas was arrested on June 10 in connection with alleged misappropriation of government relief materials in Nadia district's Krishnanagar.

His arrest came hours after an angry crowd allegedly stormed his residence, threw eggs and raised slogans against him over the alleged recovery of government relief supplies, including tarpaulins, dhotis, sarees and clothes, from his house.

Protesters had gheraoed the former minister at his residence for nearly an hour, following which police detained him and took him to Kotwali Police Station, where his arrest was formally recorded.

He was subsequently released on bail in July.

Mamata alleged that Biswas was subjected to “political persecution, physical assault and mental harassment in the final months of his life.”

Banerjee also referred to "the difficult period" Biswas allegedly went through following the change in the political situation in the state, claiming that he was "brutally attacked, implicated in false cases and kept behind bars for 49 days."