Guwahati/New Delhi: Dr Kalam was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed during a public lecture at Shillong IIM. He was put under observation in the ICU. However, he could not be revived. Dr Kalam had been a guest faculty member at IIM Shillong for the past few years. He was delivering a speech, “Creating a Liveable Planet” on Monday evening when he collapsed.
Meghalaya Governor V. Shanmughanathan, who rushed to the hospital, said Dr Kalam died at 7.45 pm. Doctors from the Army Hospital and North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences also rushed to Bethany Hospital.
Meghalaya chief secretary P.B.O. Warjiri told reporters at the hospital that he had spoken to Union home secretary L.C. Goyal, and that the necessary arrangements would be made to fly Kalam’s body from Guwahati to New Delhi on Tuesday morning.
President Pranab Mukherjee, vice-president Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders across party lines condoled the former President’s demise.
President Mukherjee said Kalam would forever be known as a “People’s President”, while Mr Modi described him as a “great scientist, a wonderful President and above all an inspiring individual” and said he played the role of a “Margdarshak”.
Remembering his many interactions with the former President, Mr Modi said he “always marvelled at his intellect, learnt so much from him”. Finance minister Arun Jaitley said the nation had lost its “ideal citizen”.
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, became the 11th head of state and occupied the post from 2002 to 2007. He was born in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, on October 15, 1931.
