Harihar Karan passes away at 72 after battling septicaemia

Senior Congress leader and former minister Harihar Karan died on Monday at the age of 72, family members said. Karan was being treated for septicaemia for the last three weeks, his son Rajesh said.

"Since my father was on the ventilator, his condition had deteriorated after it was removed for about five hours during shifting (to another hospital), due to fire at the hospital (where he was first admitted)," he told reporters. A six-time MLA from Daspalla constituency in Nayagarh district, Karan was elected for the first time in the sixth assembly elections in 1974. He was also elected from Daspalla constituency in the 7th, 8th, 9th 11th and 12th assembly elections in 1977, 1980, 1985, 1995 and 2000, respectively.

He was the health and family welfare minister in the J B Patnaik ministry in 1980. Karan was also the chairperson of the disciplinary committee of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) in 2013. The funeral will be held at Swargadwara in Puri. OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik condoled the demise of Karan and said it is a personal loss for him and the party.

(With inputs from agencies.)