Tarun Gogoi passes away at 86: ex-Assam CM was being treated for post-COVID complications

Veteran Congress leader and former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi passed away at age 86 on Monday in Guwahati where he had been receiving treatment for post-COVID complications, according to several media reports. As per news agency PTI, Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Gogoi breathed his last at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital at 5.34 pm. According to a report in the  Times of India, Sarma said the last rites will be conducted in Guwahati with full state honours and the former chief minister’s body will be kept at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalashetra from Tuesday morning to allow people to pay their respects. Gogoi was the MLA from the Titabor Assembly constituency since 2001. He was also a six-time parliamentarian and a Union minister twice. He is survived by his wife Dolly, daughter Chandrima and son Gaurav. Earlier in the day, Abhijit Sarma, Superintendent of the Gauhati Medical College Hospital, where the octogenarian leader was admitted on 2 November, said Gogoi’s condition was “very very critical”. Himanta, who was at GMCH along with Gogoi’s son and Congress MP Gaurav, said Gogoi’s organs had failed with the brain receiving some signals, eyes showing some reflexes and his heart functioning with the help of a pace-maker, However, no other organs are functioning, he had said. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said he canceled all his programmes and was flying back to Guwahati from Dibrugarh to be by Gogoi’s side.

Flying back to Guwahati from Dibrugarh after cancelling my programmes midway to be on the side of respected Tarun Gogoi da & his family as the former CM's health deteriorates. He has always been a father figure to me. I join millions in praying for his recovery. @GauravGogoiAsm

— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) November 23, 2020

Gogoi, who was on dialysis on Sunday for six hours, was again flushed with toxins and not in a position to undergo the process again, the health minister said. The three-time chief minister was admitted to GMCH on 2 November with post-COVID complications and was on non- invasive ventilation (NIV). He was put on invasive ventilation on Saturday night as his condition deteriorated, following multi-organ failure and he became unconscious with difficulty in breathing. On Sunday morning, the GMCH superintendent had said that there a was a marginal improvement in Gogoi’s health condition but he continued to be critical and was haemodynamically stable. Later in the day, Sarma, a former Cabinet colleague of Gogoi, said the negligible body movements were seen because the effect of the sedatives was low at that time. “His condition is very critical and serious,” he added. According to a NDTV report, Gogoi’s family, including his wife, son and daughter, have been at the GMCH since Sunday night. A host of MPs, MLAs, former ministers and senior Congress leaders have also been camping at the hospital since Saturday night. State cabinet ministers and AGP leaders Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta, BJP leader Ramen Deka and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal were among those from other parties to visit the facility to enquire about his health. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had spoken to Gaurav asking after Gogoi’s health. The former chief minister had tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection on 25 August and was admitted to GMCH the next day. He was discharged after two months on 25 October, the former chief minister, after undergoing treatment for COVID-19 and other post-recovery complications, In the days before he was diagnosed with COVID-19, Gogoi was at the forefront of the Congress initiative to form a ‘Grand Alliance’, comprising all the Opposition parties for the 2021 Assembly polls.   With inputs from PTI