Kamal Guha passes away

 

COOCH BEHAR, Aug. 06: The veteran Forward Bloc leader Kamal Guha breathed his last today at 5-15 p.m. at Shila Nursing Home in Cooch Behar today.

 

Guha's physical condition turned serious on 1 August night. He was in a private nursing home in Cooch Behar. A three-member team from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital examined him on 2 August. Following state chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's instruction an expert team of four medical professionals from SSKM Hospital in Kolkata examined him on Friday.

 

The physical condition of veteran Forward Bloc leader Kamal Guha was not good for the past few days. His heart, kidneys and lungs were not functioning well. The doctors were keeping a constant watch on his condition round-the-clock under guidance of Dr Subhas Saha at the private nursing home in Cooch Behar. Guha's family physician Dr Bidyut Kamal Saha said the overall condition of the octogenarian leader was not good but it was observed that his brain was functioning till last night. He was recognising family members and other visitors and was answering attending doctors' questions by nodding his head.

 

Today his condition deteriorated and he breathed his last at 5-15 p.m. His son Mr Udayan Guha was present by his bed at the last moment. State food and supply minister Mr Paresh Adhikary and Cooch Behar (North) MLA Mr Dipak Sarkar were found at a loss by his body this evening. []

 

Kamal Guha

 

Born at Dinhata on 20 January 1928. Passed Matriculation from Dinhata High School where former president of Bangladesh, Hussain Mohammad Ershad was his classmate. Passed IA from Victoria College (now ABN Seal College) in Cooch Behar.

He was a staunch follower of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's thoughts since school life.

Kamal Guha started contesting in the Assembly elections as a Forward Bloc candidate from his home constituency Dinhata from 1957. He won in 1962 and 1967. Since 1977 he won in all elections and was included in the state cabinet of ministers as the agricultural minister.

In 1992 he was expelled from Forward Bloc following differences with party leadership over Tinbigha corridor handover issue. Then he formed Forward Bloc (Socialist) and won against Left Front candidate in Dinhata. After about seven years Mr Guha came back to the parent party winding up his FB (S). In the last Assembly election he left the candidature of Dinhata seat and tried to establish his son Mr Udayan Guha in that place but the latter failed to retain the seat.

Till his death he was the chairman of the party's Bangla Committee. He was to complete his eighty years in January 2008. []