Stalwart CPIM leader Sitaram Yechury passes away

Stalwart Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury has passed away. He was 72 years old. 

Yechury, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has been in a critical condition and was receiving respiratory support at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. The 72-year-old leader was undergoing treatment for an acute respiratory tract infection in the ICU, according to a statement from his party issued on Tuesday.

The CPI(M) has reported that a multi-disciplinary team of doctors was closely monitoring Yechury’s condition, which remains critical. "He is on respiratory support and is under constant observation by a team of medical experts," the party's official release noted.

Yechury was admitted to AIIMS on August 19, initially for treatment of a chest infection resembling pneumonia. The hospital has yet to disclose the full details of his condition.

Earlier statements from the CPI(M) had indicated that Yechury’s condition was stable and that he was responding well to treatment. Recently, Yechury had undergone cataract surgery and had also shared a 6-minute video message on August 22, following the passing of former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.