AGARTALA: CPM's Tripura unit secretary Goutam Das died at a private hospital in Kolkata on Thursday while undergoing treatment for COVID-19, party sources said. Das (70) is survived by wife Tapati Sen and daughter Swagata.
He had tested positive for COVID-19 in August-end and was admitted to a private hospital in Agartala. As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to a private hospital in Kolkata on September 6 where he died at 7:20 am.
Das joined the party in 1968 and became Tripura state committee member in 1986. He was elected to the state secretariat in 1994 and became the party secretary in 2018. He became a member of CPM central committee at the 21st Party Congress in 2015.
He was the editor of the party's state unit mouthpiece 'Daily Desher Katha' from 1979 to 2015. He was also one of the founding members of the Agartala Press Club. The CPM's Polit Buro expressed shock and grief over Das' demise and conveyed condolences to his family members.
Trinamool Congress's West Bengal general secretary Kunal Ghosh visited the hospital in Kolkata where Das died.
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb also condoled the death of Das. "I am deeply mourned at demise of CPM state secretary Goutam Das. I pray for the departed soul to rest in peace. I pray to God to give strength to the bereaved family to endure the pain," he tweeted.