Indian President Pranab’s wife passes away

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee’s wife Suvra Mukherjee, who was suffering from respiratory illness, passed away at a hospital in Delhi this morning. She was 74.

“It is informed with deep sorrow that First Lady Smt. Suvra Mukherjee passed away this morning. She left for her heavenly abode at 10:51am,” our New Delhi correspondent reports quoting an official announcement from the country’s Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Suvra was admitted to the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi Cantonment with respiratory problem 11 days ago, the correspondent said.

Her illness had prompted the President to cut short his visit to eastern state of Odisha and return to Delhi.  

Pranab and Suvra got married on July 13, 1957. The couple has two sons, Abhijit Mukherjee and Indrajit Mukherjee, and a daughter, Sharmishtha Mukherjee.

Bangladesh President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had spoken to Pranab Mukherjee and enquired about his wife’s health last Saturday.

Suvra was born on September 17, 1940 in Narail district of Bangladesh and spent her very early years there. She was an accomplished Rabindra sangeet singer.

She, along with her husband, had visited her ancestral village in Narail district when the Indian President was on an official visit to Bangladesh in March 2014. They were given an affectionate welcome by the locals during their visit.