Srinagar: Krishan Dev Sethi, 93, who was the last surviving member of the Jammu & Kashmir Constituent Assembly, passed away on Thursday at his Jammu residence.
According to the family, he passed away around 4 a.m. at his ancestral home at Dalpatian Mohallah, Jammu. Mr. Sethi, who was keeping unwell for the last one year, is survived by four sons and two daughters.
Born in Mirpur, now in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, Mr. Sethi was an elected member of the first Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir formulated in 1951 and finalised the separate constitution of J&K. He represented the Nowshera Assembly segment.
“Mr. Sethi, a veteran communist leader, was a stalwart of the Quit Kashmir movement and the last of the J&K Constituent Assembly members. It is a personal loss. Sethi saheb was a close friend of my father and a regular visitor to the Kashmir Times office, where many like me learnt a lot about politics, society and Urdu poetry. His integrity, humility and encyclopedic memory held us in awe and his anecdotes mesmerised us no less. His death will be mourned on both sides of the Line of Control,“ daily Kashmir Times editor Anuradha Bhasin said.
Mohammad Sayeed Malik, a close friend of Mr. Sethi from Kashmir, said, “With his death, a volcano is extinct. His persona symbolised his philosophy of life; the crux of which was humanism, socio-political justice and a society free of exploitation. He was an inspiration to me personally as much as to his countless comrades, followers and friends, across the country, across the LoC and across the seven seas. We have been friends for nearly six decades.”
Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said she was “deeply saddened to know about Mr. Sethi’s demise”. “I was hoping to see him in Jammu. He treated me like a daughter and will always be an integral part of my childhood. I will miss his wisdom and guidance,” she said.
National Conference president and Member of Parliament Dr. Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah also expressed grief over the demise.
“Late Sethi Ji was among many who gave intellectual leadership to his people, when Jammu and Kashmir was undergoing a change from feudalism to democracy. He also lent immense support to the political movement started by Sher-e-Kashmir by giving his intellectual support, discussing the themes as socialism, secularism and democracy in his write-ups,” the NC leaders said, in a joint condolence message.
