New Delhi: Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Kalikho Pul was found hanging in the chief minister’s official residence on Tuesday, barely weeks after the Supreme Court unseated him from power.
The 47-year-old was yet to vacate the chief minister’s residence because his home was being renovated. He allegedly hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his bedroom, a top police officer said.
Read: Modi, leaders from across political line, condole Kalikho Pul’s death
Pul was found by one of his three wives. According to the doctors, the death occurred between 7 and 7:30 am. Pul, who is survived by four children, had not met any outsider for the past seven days, according to his family. MHA sources confirmed that no suicide note has been found and the reason of suicide could be depression.
Kalikho Pul rebelled against Congress Chief Minister Nabam Tuki in late 2015. He was made acting CM of the state on February 19, 2016, propped up by the support of 12 other rebel MLAs and the BJP.
Read: Arunachal Pradesh declares 3-day state mourning following Kalikho Pul’s demise
In December last, in an Assembly session convened in a hotel, the Congress rebels led by Pul and BJP MLAs ‘voted out’ the Tuki government.
He served for four and a half months before the Supreme Court ended his reign. In a first-of-its-kind ruling, the top court removed the government in power and ordered the Congress government be restored.
Tuki’s appointment was illegal, the court said, as the Governor did not have any power to summon an Assembly bypassing the government.
Read: Arunachal govt announces magisterial inquiry into Pul's death
The top court reinstated the Tuki government, wound back the clock and held all decisions made under the Pul government were illegal. Tuki made way for Pema Khandu as the Congress chief minister.
Meanwhile, a group of people who had assembled outside Pul's residence turned unruly and demanded that the Chief Minister and his council of ministers resign immediately on account of Pul's alleged suicide.
Scores of his supporters gheraoed Chief Minister Pema Khandu's bungalow in Niti Bihar area and demanded a probe into Pul's "unnatural" death. They also set on fire an under-construction building of the Deputy chief minister and damaged two official bungalows.
Supporters said they would not allow Pul's body to be taken out of the bungalow and demanded that he be buried inside the premises. A coffin, which was brought from outside, was damaged and set on fire by the crowd before the assembled media.
A section of the supporters headed towards the official residence of Deputy CM Chowna Mein, less than 100 metres away, damaged the outer wall and at least 10 vehicles parked in the premises. Protestors also damaged the official bungalow of Industries Minister Tapang Taloh.
A high-level cabinet meeting was on and police reinforcements, including state police and ITBP, were sent to the high-security VVIP zone where the ministers' residences were located.
Pul's body will be kept at the bungalow for public to pay respects, official sources said.
Pul has served as the finance minister in Chief Minister Gegong Apang’s cabinet from 2003 until 2007.
