Karnataka minister Umesh Vishwanath Katti, 61, dies of cardiac arrest

Karnataka minister Umesh Katti on Tuesday night died of a heart attack. He was 61 and was in charge of the forest, food, civil supplies and consumers affairs departments.

It is reportedly said Katti felt chest pain at his Dollars Colony home and collapsed. He was then rushed to Ramaiah hospital, where he breathed his last.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai condoled the minister's death, saying it is a huge loss for the state.

Speaking to reporters, CM Bommai called the minister a "brother" and said he did a lot of work for the state.

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"I have lost a very close friend of mine. He was a brother to me. He had some heart issues, but we never thought he would pass away so soon. He has done a lot of work for the state. He handled several portfolios efficiently. It is a huge loss for the state. He has left a huge vacuum which is very difficult to fill up," the chief minister said.

The Chief Minister said that the minister's funeral would be performed with full state honours. 

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"His (Umesh Katti) body will be shifted by air ambulance. All procedures will be done after public viewing till 2 pm at Sankeshwara. The last rites will be performed with state honours at Bagewadi Belagavi. A holiday has been announced in schools and colleges today in Belagavi," he told reporters.

State minister for Higher Education, CN Ashwathnarayan said Katti was a "man of few words".

"He had cardiac issues. Because of the massive heart attack, he lost his life. He was a man of few words. He has always been a people's man," minister Ashwathnarayan said.

• Karnataka
• Karnataka Minister
• Umesh Katti
• Forest Minister
• Cardiac arrest
• Heart attack