KK's death: BJP alleges lapses on Bengal govt's part; TMC says don't politicise demise

Singer-composer KK, whose real name was Krishnakumar Kunnath, died in Kolkata on Tuesday at the age of 53.

The tragic demic of iconic singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, in Kolkata has sparked a political debate with the opposition BJP blaming the West Bengal administration for lapses. The BJP has demanded an impartial probe, drawing a sharp retort from the ruling TMC which asked the saffron camp not to politicise death. 

KK performed at a concert organised by Gurudas College at Nazrul Mancha in south Kolkata on Tuesday evening. Officials stated the singer was "feeling uneasy" after reaching his hotel and collapsed soon after. 

KK was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead on Tuesday night. 

"There should be an impartial investigation into the incident as there was a complete lapse on the part of the administration to ensure proper security arrangements," BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said. 

"Around 7,000 people were reportedly present at the venue of the programme, where the seating capacity was around 3,000 people. He was mobbed there, which means security arrangements were not in place for a VIP," he added.

Reacting sharply to the BJP leader's comments, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said the opposition should stop its "vulture politics" and should not politicise an unfortunate incident. 

"His death is really unfortunate, and all of us are really sad about it. But what the BJP is doing is not at all expected. The saffron camp should stop its vulture brand of politics. They should stop politicising death. We won't be astonished if BJP starts claiming that KK was their party leader," he said. 

Ghosh added the administration is taking all measures and an investigation is underway. 

Meanwhile, an initial probe revealed that the 53-year-old singer was "almost mobbed" by fan followers at the hotel where he had returned after performing at Nazrul Mancha auditorium in the southern part of the city. KK was on a two-day tour to Kolkata to perform at two college programmes.

A post-mortem examination will be conducted during the day to ascertain the exact cause of his death.

(With inputs from PTI)