Senior J&K Congress leader Dina Nath Bhagat dies at 79
Senior Jammu and Kashmir Congress leader Dina Nath Bhagat passed away early Monday at a hospital in Ludhiana, Punjab, following a brief illness, his family said. He was 79.
Bhagat, a former MLA from Chenani constituency, is survived by his wife, three sons, and two daughters. His son, Naresh Bhagat, an advocate, said his father had been unwell for the past 10 days and breathed his last around 3.30 am.
He had initially been treated at Government Medical College in Jammu for a lung infection before being shifted to Ludhiana for advanced treatment, Naresh said. The last rites will be held later in the day at Devika in Udhampur.
Bhagat won the Chenani assembly seat on a BJP ticket in the 2014 Jammu and Kashmir elections but resigned from the party in November 2020, accusing it of being “anti-Dalit.” After a brief stint with the National Panthers Party, he joined the Congress in January 2022.
J&K Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma expressed grief over Bhagat’s death, calling him very active in politics and social life.