Meghalaya Assembly Speaker and former chief minister Donkupar Roy passed away on Sunday at a hospital in Gurgaon.
He was 64 and is survived by his wife and six children.
Roy, a PhD in economics, who represented Shella constituency in East Khasi Hills district from 1988, breathed his last around 2.40pm following a multiple-organ failure. For about 10 days, he was at the Medanta Hospital after he was flown in an air ambulance.
The president of the United Democratic Party (UDP) suffered from acute diabetes.
Meghalaya Assembly secretariat commissioner and secretary Andrew Simons informed that Roy’s mortal remains would be flown from Delhi on Monday morning.
The body will be brought to Roy’s official residence here and will be taken to Shella village on Tuesday. However, it has not been decided as to when the funeral will take place.
A three-day state mourning has been declared and a state holiday will be observed on the day of the funeral.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a galaxy of leaders in paying homage to the former chief minister who had never lost an election since 1988. “Anguished by the demise of Dr Donkupar Roy, Speaker of the Meghalaya Assembly and former CM of the state. Passionate about Meghalaya’s progress, he served the state with great diligence and helped transform many lives. Condolences to his family and supporters,” a tweet quoting Modi from the Prime Minister’s Office Twitter handle said.
Meghalaya governor Tathagata Roy said he was deeply saddened by Roy’s demise.
“Deeply saddened to know about the unfortunate and untimely death of Donkupar Roy, 64. He was the Speaker of Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, a former chief minister of Meghalaya and the president of the United Democratic Party. RIP, Om shanti,” Roy noted on his Twitter account.
Chief minister Conrad K. Sangma said on Twitter: “Deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Speaker of Meghalaya Assembly Dr Donkupar Roy. We have lost a leader, a mentor, who had dedicated his life for the service of the people. May Almighty provide strength to his family in this hour of grief.”
Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma, in a message, said Roy’s demise was an irreparable loss. “In his sudden demise, we have lost a leader — rare, simple and down to earth.”
