Deputy Speaker of Bengal Assembly H.A. Safwi dead

Kolkata : Deputy Speaker of West Bengal Assembly and former state Minister Haider Aziz Safwi died following a cardiac arrest on Wednesday, family sources said.

Safwi, a retired IPS officer, was suffering from old age complications, particularly respiratory distress, and was admitted to a private hospital recently.

He was released only a day ago, but collapsed on Wednesday morning at his residence. He was rushed to a hospital which declared him dead.

Safwi, a two-time MLA, handled the Water Transport and Correctional Administration portfolios in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's government from 2011 to 2016.

He was elected as the Assembly Deputy Speaker in 2016.

Condoling Safwi's death, Banerjee said: "His demise is a big loss for us."