In a shocking incident, former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Kalikho Pul was on Tuesday found dead at his home in Itanagar. Though the cause of his death is unclear, authorities suspect that he had committed suicide.
Kalikho Pul was an unknown name in the national media before he was at the centre of a political turmoil in Arunachal Pradesh in December last year.
After a political and legal battle, Pul, a Congress leader, was elected as the Chief Minister of North-eastern state by rebel party MLAs and supported by the BJP legislators. He was sworn in as CM of Arunachal Pradesh of February 20, only to be removed by the Supreme Court in a historic order in July.
Here is a brief profile of Kalikho Pul:
1- Kalikho Pul, born on July 20, 1969 belonged to one of the smallest ethnic groups – Kaman Mishmi. Most of his tribe members live in China.
2- Pul was a minority among minorities on the religious count, according to the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh. The Kamans follow Amik Matai, an indigenous faith distinct from other tribes of the region.
3- Pul lost his father at the age of six and his mother at the age of thirteen. He went to live with his aunt under extreme financial constraints.
4- He sold paan and beedi to fund his education at night school. He had worked as a carpenter and a night watchman.
5- Pul was the General Secretary of students union for all three years in college.
6- Pul contested his first election in assembly polls in the state in 1995 on Congress party ticket.
7- Pul served as Health and Family welfare minister under Chief Minister Nabam Tuki in 2011 but lost the profile in the Cabinet reshuffle in December 2014.
8- He rebelled against Tuki in April 2015 alleging financial mismanagement within the government. Congress expelled him for anti-party activities.
9- Pul served for little less than five months as the eighth chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh.
10- Pul is survived by three wives and four children.
