Krishna Bose, academician and former TMC MP, dead at 89

Academic-turned-politician Krishna Bose died on Saturday due to age-related ailments.

She was 89.

Bose, the former Trinamool Congress MP from the Jadavpur constituency, was unwell for quite some time, family sources said.

She died at a private hospital off EM Bypass at 10.22 am, they said.

Bose was admitted to the hospital with irregular heart beat on February 16 and suffered a cerebral infarct on February 17 and remained in critical condition, a senior doctor said.

"She was suffering from age-related ailments for quite some time. She suffered her second stroke a few days ago and was admitted to the ICU," her son Sumantra Bose said.

 

She was married to Sisir Kumar Bose, nephew of Subhas Chandra Bose.

Born on December 26, 1930, to constitutional expert Charu Chandra Chaudhuri in Dhaka, Bose taught at the City College in Kolkata for around 40 years. She headed the English department for several years and later also became the principal of the college.

Though Bose started in active politics as a member of the Congress, she was close to Mamata Banerjee and switched sides when the Trinamool Congress was formed.

"I lost someone respected, loved & admired by me. Saddened & shocked to hear about the demise of Krishna Basu, ex-TMC MP & wife of freedom fighter Dr Sisir Bose. Being a part of Netaji's family, she was a revered social reformer, renowned poet & a courageous educationalist," Banerjee said in a tweet.

"Krishna di was a mother to her son's Sumantra & Sugata, daughter Sarmila as well as the whole Trinamool family. Her immense contribution to Indian society & Bengali culture will be revered for times to come," she added.

Bose was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1996 on a Congress ticket, then in 1998 and 1999 as a Trinamool Congress candidate.

She is survived by sons Sugata and Sumantra, and daughter Sharmila. Sugata, the Gardiner Professor of History at Harvard University, had won from the Jadavpur constituency on a Trinamool Congress ticket in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Bose was Chair of the Council of the Netaji Research Bureau and also headed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs during her third stint as the MP.

Bose has written several books, including 'Netaji: A Biography for the Young', 'Ek Nambar Bari' and 'An Outsider in Politics'.

Her body was taken to her Sarat Bose Road residence in south Kolkata around 1 pm and then it will be brought to the Netaji Bhavan on Elgin Road, according to family sources.

The chief minister will be visiting Netaji Bhavan where hundreds of the former lawmaker's followers are also expected.

She will be cremated in the evening.