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Rashid Kidwai’s book recounts that after drinking his usual milk at night, Lal Bahadur Shastri paced restlessly and asked his personal assistant Ramnath for water
Lalita Shastri and the rest of the family had many doubts about Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death. (News18 Hindi)
The mystery surrounding the death of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri remains unresolved. Despite the formation of several committees and commissions to investigate his demise, no concrete results have been achieved.
Shastri, born on October 2, 1904, in Uttar Pradesh’s Mughalsarai, passed away on January 11, 1966, in Tashkent (then part of Russia) under enigmatic circumstances. The night after signing a peace treaty with Pakistan, he suffered a sudden heart attack and died before receiving adequate medical treatment.
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Periodically, his family has demanded an investigation into his death, and years later, his son Sunil Shastri (who left Congress to join the BJP) also appealed to the government to resolve the mystery. Sunil Shastri claimed that his mother, Lalita Shastri, believed he had been poisoned.
Senior journalist Kuldeep Nayyar, who was with Shastri at the time, detailed the events that transpired in Tashkent that night in his book.
Senior journalist Rashid Kidwai, in his book “Prime Ministers of India: Country, Direction, Condition,” quoting Kuldeep Nayyar, described the scene that night: “I woke up to loud knocking on the door. A woman in the corridor said, ‘Your Prime Minister is dying.’ I quickly dressed and, accompanied by an Indian official, ran to the Russian-style rest house where Shastriji was staying. Upon arrival, I saw Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin standing in the veranda, signalling that Shastriji was no more. Behind the veranda, in the dining room, a team of doctors sat around a large oval table, receiving updates from Shastriji’s doctor, R.N. Chugh.”
Kuldeep Nayyar described Shastriji’s room: “Behind that veranda was Shastriji’s room. It was very spacious, and his body looked like a tiny dot on a huge bed. His unworn slippers were neatly placed on the carpeted floor. A thermos lay upside down on the dressing table, indicating Shastriji had tried to open it. Surprisingly, there was no bell in the room. Later, when the government faced questions in Parliament about why Shastriji could not be saved, it had to lie about the ‘no bell’ issue.”
Kidwai further elaborated in his book: “A clean tricolour was kept folded near the dressing table. Together with the government photographer, I (Nayyar) placed the tricolour on Shastriji’s body. After offering flowers to Shastriji, I went to meet his assistants. They were staying nearby on an open veranda. Shastriji’s personal secretary, Jagannath Sahay, told me that around midnight, Shastriji knocked on his door asking for water. Two stenographers and Jagannath supported him and returned him to his room. Dr. Chugh believed this moment proved fatal (as coming out to ask for water proved detrimental).”
What Did Shastri Eat That Night?
Regarding Shastriji’s last meal, Nayyar wrote: “After sending the news of Shastriji’s death, I went to his colleagues to learn the details. Shastriji reached his room around 10 pm after the welcome ceremony and asked his personal assistant Ramnath for food, which was prepared by the cook of Indian Ambassador T.N. Kaul. The meal included vegetables, potatoes, and curry. Shastriji ate very little.”
The Final Conversation At Bedtime
The book also described Shastriji’s bedtime routine: “Shastriji had a habit of drinking milk before bed, so Ramnath gave him milk. After drinking it, the Prime Minister began pacing around the room restlessly and asked for water. Ramnath gave him water from a thermos flask on the dressing table. Shortly before midnight, Shastriji asked Ramnath to sleep as he had to wake up early for his journey to Kabul. Ramnath expressed his desire to sleep on the floor in the room, but Shastriji sent him to his room upstairs.”
Shastri’s Secretary Recalls His Final Terrifying Moment
Recalling the moments before Shastriji’s death, his personal secretary, Gananath Sahay, said: “At 1:20 am, Shastriji knocked on my door in great pain, asking ‘Where is the doctor?’ He then began coughing violently, shaking his entire body. Personal assistants supported him back to bed. Jagannath gave him water and comforted him, saying, ‘Babuji, you will be fine.’ Shastriji pointed to his chest and fainted. Later, Lalita Shastri told Jagannath in Delhi, ‘You are very lucky that you gave him water at his last moment.'”
Lalita Shastri’s Tough Questions
When Kuldeep Nayyar returned to India from Tashkent, Lalita Shastri asked him serious questions about Shastriji’s body.
She asked Nayyar, “Why did Shastriji’s body turn blue?” Nayyar replied, “I was told that when chemicals are applied to preserve the body, it turns blue.”
She then asked about cut marks on the body. Nayyar had no knowledge of this, as he had not seen Shastriji’s body. What surprised her most was that neither in Tashkent nor in Delhi was a post-mortem examination conducted on Shastriji’s body.
Nayyar believed this was unusual. Therefore, Lalita Shastri and the rest of the family had many doubts about his death.
October 03, 2025, 12:40 IST
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