Former Kerala Assembly Deputy Speaker Kunju dead

Kochi: Former Deputy Speaker of the Kerala Assembly and senior leader of the Indian Union Muslim League, KM Hamsa Kunju, died at his residence, party sources said here on Friday.

He was 80.

He died of a heart attack at around 9.30 PM on Thursday, they said.

He is survived by his wife and two children.

Kunju, a former Mayor of Kochi, was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Kerala Assembly in 1982.

Kunju, who entered political and trade union activities after completing his matriculation, was the Mayor of Kochi for a period of two-and-a-half years from 1973.

He had also been a member of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation and also a member of the Greater Cochin Development Authority.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the demise of Kunju.

Vijayan recalled that as a legislator, Kunju highlighted the issues affecting the working class in the state Assembly.