KK’s last rites conducted in Mumbai

Singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, was cremated in Mumbai on Thursday, reported PTI.

The singer’s last rites were performed by his son Nakul at the Versova Hindu crematorium around 2 pm.

KK died on Tuesday night shortly after performing at a concert in Kolkata’s Nazrul Mancha auditorium. He collapsed at the hotel where he was staying after the performance. Doctors at the Calcutta Medical Research Institute said that the singer had died by the time he was brought to the hospital.

Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, singer Rekha Bhardwaj, Director Ashoke Pandit, lyricist Javed Akhtar and musicians Shankar Mahadevan, Udit Narayan and Abhijeet Bhattacharya were among those who attended the funeral.

“It is a big loss,” Bhattacharya told reporters. “The entire industry is reeling under shock. He did not have any health issue as such for the few days, he had acidity problem.”

Singers Rahul Vaidya, Shreya Ghoshal, Sudesh Bhosale, Salim Merchant, Alka Yagnik, Javed Ali and Papon paid their tribute to KK at his residence.

The police filed a case of unnatural death on Wednesday and conducted a post-mortem. This was after an initial investigation showed he was “almost mobbed” by fans at the hotel where he returned after the performance.

A preliminary post-mortem report, however, suggested that he died due to a cardiac arrest and that there was no foul play, according to an unidentified police officer.

The report is not available yet.

On Thursday, a doctor who conducted an autopsy told PTI that KK could have been saved through cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. CPR is an emergency procedure conducted on persons in a cardiac arrest to try to restore blood circulation and breathing.

“He had a major blockage in the left main coronary artery and small blockages in various other arteries and sub-arteries,” the doctor who did not wish to be identified told PTI. “Excessive excitement during the live show caused stoppage of blood flow leading to cardiac arrest that claimed his life.”

Videos shared on social media had shown that KK was uncomfortable during the concert. In one of the videos, he was seen wiping sweat and apparently gesturing that the air conditioning at the venue was not working.

Another video showed KK saying “God bless you all” to the crowd before leaving the stage in a hurry. He was visibly distressed as he was taken away from the venue.

A third video showed the exhausted singer being taken back to his hotel after the concert.

KK was murdered, alleges BJP

On Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Party West Bengal unit Vice President Dilip Ghosh alleged that KK was forced to sing despite complaining of uneasiness, reported the Hindustan Times.

“He was feeling unwell and sweating,” Ghosh said. “He wanted to leave but was not allowed. He was murdered.”

The Trinamool Congress said the allegations were baseless. The party also said that Ghosh had made the statement to stay relevant within the BJP after he was pulled up for criticising his successor Sukanta Majumdar. Ghosh was the BJP’s state unit chief before being replaced by Majumdar.

“KK’s manager knows better than Ghosh,” said Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh. “It is the BJP’s culture to engage in such cheap and ugly politics over death. As for Dilip Ghosh, it is a struggle for existence. He has been censured by the party. He is under tremendous pressure and that’s why making such statements.”

Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP MP Saumitra Khan has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking an inquiry by a central agency into the singer’s death.

In his letter, Khan raised several questions, including how were 7,000 persons allowed at the Nazrul Mancha auditorium when it only had the capacity of 3,000. He asked why the event was given permission when the air conditioners in the auditorium were not functional.

Khan also asked why there was no police teams at the event and if they were informed about the concert.

Also read:

KK (1968-2022): The unmatched voice of youthful angst and abandon