Former union minister Ahamed passes away

New Delhi: Former union minister and Indian Union Muslim League leader E. Ahamed has passed away early on Wednesday after he suffered a cardiac arrest, a senior doctor has confirmed. The 78-year-old Ahamed died at 2:15am at Ram Manohar Lohia hospital where he was admitted on Tuesday and put on artificial life support. "E Ahamed has passed away at 2:15 am. His body has been taken to AIIMS hospital for embalming (a method to preserve a corpse from decaying) as the facility is not available at RML," a senior RML doctor told PTI. Ahamed's body will be taken to Kerala later on Wednesday. The MP from Kerala's Mallapuram suffered a cardiac arrest during the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament on Tuesday. At around 2.15pm, he was shifted to the RML trauma centre's ICU where he was put on ventilator and breathed his last. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, party vice president Rahul Gandhi, leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, besides other party leaders had rushed to the hospital late at night and met Ahamed's family. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condoled the demise of MP and IUML leader E Ahamed and said his efforts for empowerment of the Muslim community will be remembered. "Saddened by the demise of Mr. E Ahamed, a veteran political leader who served the nation with great diligence. My condolences," he tweeted. He said Ahamed devoted significant efforts towards Kerala's progress and his role in deepening India's ties with West Asia was notable. "The continuous efforts of Mr E Ahamed for the empowerment of the Muslim community will be remembered," Modi added.