By IANS,
London : Ashok Kumar, a prominent British MP of Indian origin, was Monday found dead at his home in northern England, his office said.
The 53-year-old Labour MP’s body was discovered at his home in Middlesborough, about 400 km from the British capital, a spokesman for his office said, adding Kumar suffered a “sudden accidental” death.
Kumar, who was born in Haridwar, entered parliament in 1991 and was a well-known face among the Indian diaspora in Britain.
“It came as a huge shock to everyone,” the spokesman added.
The local Cleveland police said in a statement: “Police were called to an address on Canberra Road, Marton, in Middlesborough, at 12.30 p.m. today, Monday 15 March. Officers entered the property and found the body of a man in his 50s. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.”
The website of the regional Northern Echo newspaper said police were contacted after telephone calls from Kumar’s staff reportedly went unanswered.
Kumar, MP for Middlesborough South and East Cleveland constituency, represented the Teesside area – home to a Tata-owned Corus Steel plant that was mothballed down last month by its owners.
Kumar, a former research scientist for British Steel, played a leading role in trying to prevent the move, which is expected to lead to the loss of 1,600 jobs at the plant, and up to 8,000 associated jobs in the region.
Paying tributes, George Dunning, the leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said: “Ashok worked tirelessly for his constituents. Ashok was extremely disappointed at the recent job losses at Corus on Teesside.”
“I am sure his former steel colleagues will miss Ashok, who was a fantastic ambassador for Teesside Steel.”
Kumar was parliamentary private secretary to Environment Minister Hilary Benn, who said he was “deeply shocked and saddened by this news,” and described Kumar as a “doughty fighter for his constituents”.
Kumar was a member of Parliamentary Scientific Committee, vice-chair of Parliamentary Group for Energy Studies, chair of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), and chair of Northern Group of Labour MPs.
He also supported the British Humanist Association and the Labour Friends of Israel.