GUWAHATI:
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice president Raju Prasad Sarma was found hanging by a wall behind Navagraha Temple premises in the city on December 20 morning.
He was 73.
Some office bearers of the Temple Committee noticed the body and informed the police immediately.
Police have reason to believe that it is a case of suicide.
Sources in the Congress party informed that Sarma has been suffering from an acute financial crisis for the past two years. “He could not pay his house rent for the past two years. He was asking for loans from many people. But nobody helped him for which he took the supreme step,” sources said.
“His health was also going down as he could not purchase medicines due to lack of money,” they added.
The report of the sudden death of Sarma sent a shockwave in the Congress family across the state.
Sarma has been working for the Congress party for the past four decades.
According to his will, his body will be sent to Gauhati Medical College (GMC) for a medical test as he had donated it for laboratory tests after death.
“Saddened at the sudden demise of Raju Prasad Sarma, a dedicated Congressman who had worked for the party with utmost sincerity for the past four decades. I have lost one of my well-wishers and counsellor. Let his soul rest in eternal peace,” said Bhupen Kumar Bora, president, APCC.
Senior leaders of the Congress party paid rich tributes to Sarma’s body was brought to Rajiv Bhawan after a post-mortem conducted at GMCH.