CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury passes away; body will be donated to AIIMS Delhi

NEW DELHI: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury died at AIIMS here on Thursday following a prolonged illness. He was 72. Yechury had been in a critical condition for the last few days and was on respiratory support. The CPI(M) had said earlier that the 72-year-old leader was being treated for an acute respiratory tract infection at the ICU in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Yechury's family has donated his body to AIIMS for teaching and research purposes, the hospital said in a statement.

"It is with profound grief that we announce the passing away of CPI(M) general secretary, our beloved Comrade Sitaram Yechury, at 3.03 pm today, 12th September, at the AIIMS, New Delhi. He was suffering from a respiratory tract infection which developed complications," CPI(M) said in a post on X. "We thank the doctors, nursing staff and the Director of the Institute for the excellent treatment and care extended to Comrade Yechury. Details of public viewing and homage will be informed," the CPI(M) said.

In a statement, the CPI(M) said Yechury's body will be kept at the party headquarters here between 11 am and 3 pm on Saturday for public viewing and paying homage. Subsequently, the body will be taken to AIIMS, where it will be donated for medical research, according to his wishes. Yechury was admitted to AIIMS on August 19 for treatment of a pneumonia-like chest infection. He was critical and on oxygen support. Sources said he had a fungal infection in his lungs.

Yechury's family, education, career

Yechury is survived by his wife Seema Chishti, an editor with news portal The Wire. He has three children -- two sons and a daughter. One of his sons Ashish Yechury passed away due to Covid-19 in 2021. His daughter Akhila Yechury teaches at the University of Edinburgh and University of St Andrews. Yechury was earlier married to Indrani Mazumdar. In one of his last video messages, Yechury had paid tribute to former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. In a video message recorded from the hospital on August 22, he had said it was his loss that he was not able to physically attend this memorial meeting and pay homage to him. "It's most unfortunate that I had to connect from AIIMS to convey my feelings, emotions & revolutionary Lal Salaam to Buddho da," he had said.

The leader, who started from the student's union of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as a member of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and went on to become a member of the Central Committee of the CPI(M) in 1984, got elected to the Politburo in 1992. He served as a Rajya Sabha MP for 12 years, from 2005 to 2017. He became the fifth general secretary of the CPI(M) at the 21st party congress in Visakhapatnam on April 19, 2015, and took over from Prakash Karat. He also played a significant role in the joint opposition's INDIA bloc. He was seen among the political mentors of Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.