The Kolkata Police on Wednesday registered an unnatural death case related to the sudden demise of singer Krishna kumar Kunnath, 53, who was popularly known as KK, here on Tuesday night, people aware of the matter said and added his body will be flown to Mumbai after a post-mortem.
Minister Aroop Biswas said KK’s body was taken from a private to a state-run hospital for the post-mortem, which is mandatory when a person is declared dead on arrival at a hospital. “After the post-mortem, the body will be flown to Mumbai.” He said K K’s widow and their son and daughter have arrived in Kolkata.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who was in Bankura, said she was rushing back to Kolkata to pay her last respects to the singer. “The state wants to pay its respects through a gun salute. Let us see if it can be organised,” Banerjee said. “I talked to KK’s wife over the phone.”
KK fell ill on Tuesday night after complaining of excessive heat inside the auditorium where he was performing. He returned to his hotel after taking a break in the middle of the performance.
KK’s manager, Ritesh Bhatt, who was with him, said the singer started feeling uncomfortable in the car while returning to the hotel. “He said he was feeling extremely cold and asked the driver to switch off the AC. He said he was having cramps in his arms and feet. After reaching the hotel, he even posed with fans for photos and gave autographs. He collapsed after reaching his room and fell on the floor,” Bhatt told reporters after the police recorded his statement.
A forensic team was sent to the hotel, where KK complained of chest pain before his death. The hotel staff also told the police that KK collapsed and fell on the floor. Police were checking CCTV footage of the hotel.
Over 3,000 people had gathered for KK’s show although the auditorium can accommodate around 2,000. Videos of the show showed KK was constantly wiping his sweat and pointing at the air-conditioning machines.
A section of the media reported that there were signs of head and facial injury when KK was taken to the hospital. A hospital official said this was untrue. “There was a minor cut on the face apparently caused by the fall when KK collapsed. There was no head injury or face injury as is being reported. There was no bleeding. There were no vital signs when KK’s body reached the hospital,” said the official, requesting anonymity.
Singer Usha Uthup was among those who visited the hospital to pay their last respects to KK before his body was taken for the post-mortem.