Earlier during the day, Kalam had
tweeted about
his function at IIM Shillong
his function at IIM Shillong
Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam |
Shillong
27th
Jul 2015(Sana Sayed): Former President APJ Abdul Kalam, the 'missile man' who
came to be known as 'People's President' died on Monday after he collapsed
during a lecture at the IIM in Shillong on Monday evening.
Kalam, who would have turned 84 in October, was
confirmed dead more than two hours after he was wheeled into the ICU of Bethany
hospital in a critical condition following the collapse at around 6.30 pm.
According to reports, Kalam suffered a massive
cardiac arrest during the lecture at IIM, Shillong.
Considered the most popular President, Kalam became
the 11th head of the state and occupied the post between 2002 and 2007 but lack
of consensus denied a second term in office for a man who came from outside political
spectrum.
Meghalaya Governor V Shanmughanathan, who rushed to
the hospital on hearing the news of his admission, said Kalam died at 7.45 pm.
Despite medical team best efforts, he could not be revived.
Chief Secretary PBO Warjiri told reporters outside
the hospital that he had spoken to Union Home Secretary LC Goyal asking for
necessary arrangements to be made for carrying Kalam's body from Guwahati to
Delhi on Tuesday morning.
"The former President has been admitted to
Bethany hospital in a critical condition," M Kharkrang, SP Khasi Hills
said earlier.
Doctors from the army hospital and North Eastern
Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS)
rushed to Bethany hospital but their efforts proved to be of no avail.
A seven-day national mourning will be declared by
the Centre, Union Home Secretary LC Goyal said. Both the Houses of Parliament
are likely to make obituary references and adjourn as a mark of respect to his
memory.
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam rose from humble
origins to become the President in the most unexpected manner during the NDA
government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee after an all party consensus minus the
left parties that saw him through in an election which he won handsomely.
An aeronautics engineer from Madras Institute of
Technology, Kalam was considered the brain of missile programme in India got
and as Chief Scientific Adviser to Vajpayee was also instrumental in the
Pokhran nuclear test in 1998.
As President, Kalam utilised any opportunity that
came to him to address students, especially school children, to dream big so
that they became achievers in life. A bachelor, the former President was a
veena player and was deeply interested in Carnatic music. He was vegetarian all
his life.