Former Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri
Today India celebrates the birth anniverssary of Bharat Ratna late Sh. Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister of India, an icon of simplicity and a superb statesman.
His enduring call of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ continues to hold utmost relevance even today in transforming India into a self-reliant global super power.
Though the nation is celebrating 114th birthday of Lal Bahadur Shastri today, many questions still remain unanswered over his mysterious death 52 years ago.
Was Lal Bahadur Shastri murdered?
Officially, Shastri died of a heart attack in Tashkent, hours after he signed a peace agreement with the Pakistani president Ayub Khan on 11th January, 1966.
The last rites of Shastri Ji was performed at Shantivan and was named Vijay Ghat near the banks of Yammuna.
But the suspicion grew further after the central government refused to release documents, under the RTI Act, related to his death calling them secret and disclosure prejudicial to the interests of the country.
After the disclosure of Subhas Chandra Boses's death files, Anil Shastri, the son of Lal Bahadur Shastri has also demanded for the files related to his father's death mystery.
Soon after his death in Tashkent, a cook was taken into custody but later he was released.
Anil Shastri said that my mother was very doubtful over my father's death as it was not natural.
He further said that the investigation of this mysterious death has already been delayed but a lot can still be done to dig out the truth.
Was it a heart attack or was he poisoned?
Shastriji’s death has always been under suspicion. It is said that he died of heart attack but his personal doctor RN Chugh claimed that he was in perfect health and had no signs of heart trouble.
After his body was brought to India, the relatives saw blue and white spots on his body and claimed that the blue colour was due to poisoning.
There were two witnesses the night Shastri died- Dr RN Chugh and his servant Ram Nath who were scheduled to appear before the parliamentary body in 1977.
But Dr Chugh was hit by a truck and died. Ram Nath's legs were also crushed in an accident and he lost his memory.
Both the sons of Lal Bahadur Shastri have appealed to the government to declassify all files related to the death of the former Prime Minister "to clear the air" around the circumstances of his passing away.
The government refused to reveal information saying that it would prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India.
