New Delhi: Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Kalikho Pul’s son Shubanso Pul, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his apartment in UK’s Brighton Sunday, did not show any signs of depression and is highly unlikely to have committed suicide, his family has said.
Speaking to ThePrint, Shubanso’s mother Dangwingsai Pul said, “We are shocked. We do not know under what circumstances he died, what happened to him. When I spoke to him, he was completely normal and did not show any signs of depression. He was happy and all fine.”
Dangwingsai said she last spoke to him on 8 February. On that day, Shubanso also spoke to the entire family and did not seem upset about anything.
“He spoke to his massis (aunts) on a WhatsApp call and told them about his day. He seemed okay. I do not know what went wrong,” she added. “We will know what happened to him only once his body is back home.”
Shubanso was pursuing a law degree from the University of Sussex and had left India last year.
His father Kalikho Pul, a former Congress leader who was elected five times from the Hayuliang assembly constituency, had allegedly committed suicide at his state bungalow in August 2016. In a 60-page suicide note, Kalikho had accused some sitting and former Supreme Court judges and politicians of wrongdoing. However, the high court had dismissed the allegations.
‘No details offered’
Speaking to ThePrint, Dangwingsai Pul said she was informed about Subhanso’s death only on Monday, a day after his body was found.
“He died on Sunday but we were informed about it only on Monday,” she said. “The authorities just informed us that Shubanso has been found dead in his apartment. They did not divulge any further details.”
She said the family is in touch with the Indian High Commission in the UK and is making arrangements to bring the body back.
“The UK High Commission got in touch with us and said that Shubanso’s body will only be sent back after postmortem,” she said.
She added that the family fears it might take about 6 days to get his body back to the country. Her elder son and Subhanso’s brother Ojingso Pul, who is going to bring the body back, hasn’t got his visa yet.
“We are in touch with the authorities. My elder son is working on the documentation to bring the body back to India,” she said.
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