Former Union Minister Santosh Mohan Dev dies at 83
02 August, Silchar
Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Santosh Mohan Dev died at a private nursing home in Silchar around 0600 hrs Wednesday. He was 83. Hospital sources said he breathed his last due to multiple organ failure.
Dev left behind his wife former MLA Bithika Dev and four daughters including youngest one — Sushmita Dev, the sitting MP from Silchar in Assam. He will be cremated at Silchar cremation ground on Thursday, family sources said.
Dev, a seven-time MP and five-time Union minister, who had been ailing for past many days, was undergoing treatment at his house at Tarapur locality of Silchar.
However, he was admitted to ICU of Valley Hospital and Research Centre, a local private nursing home on July 26 after he suffered a heart attack. Born on April 1, 1934 in Silchar, the veteran Congress leader was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1980 from Silchar constituency. Subsequently, he was re-elected to lower house of Parliament in 1984 from Silchar and in 1989 and 1991 from Tripura West constituency in neighbouring state of Tripura.
Dev was again elected to the Parliament in 1996, 1999 and 2004 from Silchar. Dev has the rare distinction of being elected from two different states.He was the Union Minister of State for Tourism and Communications during 1986-1988 and the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs during 1988-1989.
He also held the charge of Union Minister of State for Steel (independent charge) in 1991. During the period 2005 to 2009, he was the minister of heavy industry and public enterprises in the union cabinet.Known as a close associate of late Primes Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Dev was a third generation Congressman. His father freedom fighter Satindra Mohan Dev was one of the first legislators of independent India.
He did his B Com at G C college in Silchar and had an MBA from the Welsh College in Cardiff UK. Dev is also a certified and professionally qualified football referee. In his earlier years Dev was also the winner of the All Assam Lawn Tennis Championship.
He is considered as father figure behind developing the Silchar District Sports Association and its stadium.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, AICC president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, APCC president Ripun Bora, former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, Congress leader C P Joshi and many others condoled the death of the Congress leader.