Kalikho Pul joins Arunachal Pradesh's eerie list; three of five who were CMs died young

Perhaps time will throw some light on why former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Kalikho Pul chose to commit suicide. Given his dramatic exit from chief ministership after the apex court verdict in July, depression seems to be the obvious reason although it would be best not to speculate. Chief ministership of a state is always a coveted and respected position for a politician in India’s democratic set up. The position gives one immense power and perhaps far more importance than any Central ministry can provide. Incredulously superstitious though it might sound, this desired political position in Arunachal Pradesh increasingly looks ill-omened. [caption id=“attachment_2945010” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] (Clockwise from top left) Dorjee Khandu, Jarbom Gamlin and Kalikho Pul. Images courtesy: PIB[/caption] And why won’t such creepy thoughts creep in? Between April 2011 and August 2016, three of either serving or former chief ministers passed away unexpectedly at a relatively young age. On 30 April 2011, then Congress chief minister of the state Dorjee Khandu died in a chopper crash near Sela Pass. Father of current Chief Minister Prema Khandu, Dorjee died at the age of 56. When the accident happened he was on his way from Tawang to Itanagar. The single engine four-seater Pawan Hans helicopter with Dorjee and four others on board went missing soon after taking off from Tawang. Besides Khandu, others on board were pilots Captain JS Babbar, Captain TS Mamik, Dorjee’s security officer Yeshi Choddak and Yeshi Lhamu, sister of Tawang MLA Tsewang Dhondup. Panchayat leader Thupten had identified the body of Dorjee while the other four bodies were charred beyond recognition. Dorjee’s successor Jarbom Gamlin  too did not live long. Merely three years later, on 30 November, 2014, Gamlin succumbed to liver thrombosis at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon at the age of 53. Gamlin had to however quit as chief minister on 30 October, 2011 as he faced dissidence from another Congress leader, Nabam Tuki. Tuki had led a weeks-long political drama in order to destabilise the Gamlin government before taking over as chief minister on 1 November, 2011. And the latest to join the list of deceased is Kalikho Pul. The former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister allegedly hanged himself on Tuesday morning at his residence in Itanagar. CNN-News 18 reported that the 47-year-old has been suffering from depression. One of his three wives found him hanging this morning. He is survived by three wives and four children. Starting from Dorjee, who had taken charge on 9 April, 2007, the state has seen five individuals as chief ministers till date. The two surviving CMs are Nabam Tuki — who got two terms while the state was under President’s Rule from 26 January, 2016 to 19 February, 2016 — and Prema Khandu.