The Hindu : Front Page : Keshubhai's wife electrocuted

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Friday, Sep 22, 2006
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Keshubhai's wife electrocuted

Special Correspondent

Short-circuiting suspected, forensic experts collect samples

— Photo: AP

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader L.K. Advani, former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel and BJP leader Arun Jaitley pay homage to Leelaben wife of Mr. Keshubhai in Gandhinagar on Thursday.

GANDHINAGAR: Leelaben Patel, wife of the former Gujarat Chief Minister, Keshubhai Patel, was found dead in a makeshift gymnasium at his official bungalow here on Thursday. She was 71.

Ms. Patel was found sitting in a chair and was suspected to have been electrocuted caused by short-circuiting. The air-conditioner, with all its electrical fittings, which was just behind the chair, was found completely burnt.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani, other senior BJP leaders, including Arun Jaitley, the former Union Minister, Kashiram Rana, Chief Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national general secretary Om Prakash Mathur, who is in-charge of Gujarat, Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh attended the funeral in the evening.

The former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief K.S. Sudarshan, Vishwa Hindu Parishad international general secretary Pravin Togadia were among those who extended their condolences telephonically to Mr. Patel. Union Textile Minister Shankarsinh Waghela and Governor Nawal Kishore Sharma called on him to condole his wife's death. Family sources said a newspaper hawker raised an alarm around 6.30 a.m. after he saw smoke coming from the backyard of the house. He woke up Mr. Patel, who had dozed off in the drawing room after workout. A search began for Ms. Patel in the house. They found her in the outhouse, which was converted into a makeshift gymnasium, with smoke coming out of the air-conditioner. Experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory here have taken samples of the air-conditioner for examination to ascertain the cause of her death.

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