WB: Ex-Rajya Sabha VC and CPI-M MLA jumps to death

Six-time Communist Party of India-Marxist legislator and former Rajya Sabha vice-chairman Mostafa Bin Quasem on Sunday allegedly committed suicide by leaping to death from the fourth floor of the MLA hostel in Kolkata.

"The MLA jumped from the fourth floor of Room 411 and fell on a tin shed. He is dead," the police said.

The police said a suicide note found from the MLA's body revealed acute depression for the extreme step as he was suffering from a number of ailments including kidney-related problems for some time.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Industry and Commerce Minister Partha Chatterjee visited the hostel and the hospital where the body was kept.

Banerjee said that she could have helped Quasem in his treatment had she been informed, but he died before she could be introduced to him in the new assembly. She instructed authorities to hand over the body to the family after postmortem and other formalities tomorrow.

The chief minister expressed her condolences to the bereaved family and asked the administration to accord him due honour and respect. "If we receive any suggestion from the CPI-M, we will do the needful," Banerjee said.

Quasem was first elected to the West Bengal assembly in 1977 from Baduria and Swarupnagar in the period between 1991-2006. He was recently elected from Basirhat North.

The CPI-M leader, who was a MP of the Upper House from 1984 to 1990, was the Rajya Sabha vice-chairman from 1987 to 1988.

The 70-year-old MLA is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Chatterjee said that there should be an inquiry on what led the CPI-M leader to his tragic end.

Quasem was among the MLAs who had arrived in Kolkata for the election of the West Bengal assembly Speaker on Monday. With Quasem's death, the number of CPI-M MLAs in the Assembly has gone down to 39 and that of the opposition Left Front to 61.