Agartala, Dec 27 Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday said that the untimely demise of Tripura Legislative Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen is an irreparable loss for the state, while remembering him as an exceptional leader and a great personality who made outstanding contributions to the state’s development.
Sen, a four-time MLA, who passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Friday after undergoing medical treatment for over four-and-a-half months, will be cremated with full state honours at his hometown Dharmanagar on Sunday.
The mortal remains were brought to Agartala from Bengaluru on Saturday and then taken to the Tripura Legislative Assembly premises at the Capital Complex on the outskirts of the city, where leaders and people from various walks of life paid their last respects.
Paying his last respects, the Chief Minister, recalling his long association with Sen, said that the Speaker would always be remembered in the hearts of the people for his wisdom, dedication and leadership.
Sharing details of Sen’s sudden illness, the Chief Minister said that on the morning of August 8, Sen had visited him at his official residence in Agartala.
“Whenever he came to Agartala, he would meet me and ask for a cup of tea. I would inquire about his health,” he said.
Saha said that later in the day, Sen fell unconscious in the Agartala railway station while he intended to go to his home town Dharmanagar (in northern Tripura) and was rushed to Tripura Medical College Hospital.
“After consulting the doctors, it was found that he had suffered a blood clot in the brain and required immediate surgery,” he said.
The Chief Minister added that Sen was shifted to another hospital through a green corridor, where the operation was successfully conducted and the blood clot removed.
He was kept there for two days before being airlifted to a hospital in Bengaluru for advanced treatment, as per the wishes of his family.
“The way he fought the battle of life is beyond words. I used to speak to his children almost every day. But yesterday (on Friday), the painful news came that Biswa Bandhu Sen is no more, which is a great personal loss for me and the people of Tripura,” Saha said.
The Chief Minister said that as Speaker, Sen discharged his duties with utmost devotion and responsibility.
“He was a wise and prudent person, deeply involved in literature, culture and drama. He was also associated with Jatrapala (traditional open-air opera) and was a poet,” he said.
Saha recalled knowing Sen since his college days at MBB College in 1971, describing him as a dear friend.
“I will always remember the way he conducted the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly,” he said.
Expressing condolences, the Chief Minister prayed for the peace of the departed soul and conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved family, wishing them strength to bear the irreparable loss.
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