Physicians in Kolkata have ruled out foul play in the death of singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, more popularly known as KK, but the big question that remains unanswered is could the popular singer have been saved if the necessary medical systems were in place?
Probably yes. But no one in Kolkata wants to answer the question. KK is gone, this time for good.
Kolkata Police continues to probe his death amidst charges that the organisers of his second event showed virtually no concern for the singer’s ill health. And that staff at the hotel where KK stayed reportedly faltered in getting crucial medical assistance to the singer, who had heart and liver issues.
KK had two back-to-back performances in the city, both organised by college students. He complained of breathlessness during the first show organised by Vivekananda College and a similar situation happened during his second show organised by Gurudas College.
While the singer was able to complete the first show on May 30, he collapsed after completing the second show, the next day. His manager Hitesh Bhat told Moneycontrol that KK was distinctly uncomfortable during the second show and took repeated breaks to drink water.
KK eventually collapsed in his room at the Oberoi Grand. “His head hit a table and he fell on the floor. He had a cut on his face,” said Bhat.
Chaos at the hotel
Informed sources told this reporter that there was total chaos when KK reached his hotel. Approximately 100 fans crowded the reception, demanding selfies with the singer. They were not told KK was unwell. Complaining of breathlessness, KK walked into the lift and nearly collapsed.
When two staff of the hotel brought him from his room to the lobby, the hotel managers on duty could not organise a physician for CPR. A doctor was consulted on the phone and on his advice the hotel staff decided to rush him to a hospital. Worse, the hotel staff even failed to get an ambulance or sent him to the hospital in a hotel car. The hotel staff said they are not in a position to answer as to why the singer was taken to CMRI in Mominpur and not to a nearby hospital.
“Crucial time was lost, the organisers lost over two hours before taking KK to hospital,” said Dr Kunal Sarkar, a heart specialist. Sarkar’s tweet, “Sorry we could not save you, Kolkata is ashamed,” went viral in minutes, triggering thousands of angry reactions on social media.
Underlying health issues
A doctor who conducted his autopsy told reporters in Kolkata that the singer’s cardiac issues remained unaddressed and that he had a major blockage in the left main coronary artery and small blockages in other arteries and sub-arteries. But none of the blockages were 100 percent.
Excitement during the live show caused stoppage of blood flow to the arteries and KK had a massive heart attack. “If CPR had been given on time, KK would have been alive,” the doctor was quoted as saying by local newspapers.
The big question in Kolkata is who delayed the CPR?
Late Om Puri’s wife Nandita Puri blamed the organisers for KK’s death. Taking to Facebook, she wrote: “Shame on West Bengal. Kolkata killed KK and the government is covering up with a state farewell for their faulty Nazrul Manch; with a crowd of 7k for a 2.5k capacity, failed air conditioning; the singer perspiring profusely complained 4 times to no avail. No paramedics. No first aid. Crucial moments lost. A CBI enquiry is a must and Bollywood should boycott performing in Bengal till then (sic).”
Speculation is rife in Kolkata that KK was not physically ready for such an arduous run of concerts. Yet he came to perform. He had health issues on the first day and then he was distinctly uncomfortable in the sardine-packed Madhusudan Mancha auditorium on the second day.
The hall had seats for 2,480 but allowed a little over 8,000 people inside. Some thousands sat outside the hall.
ACs switched off in packed hall
For the second show, the majority of the gates of the hall were kept open by the organisers so that people who could not manage seats could sit outside the hall and watch KK’s performance. For that very reason, the organisers switched off the air conditioning system. The organisers are not answering if they oversold tickets for the show to raise cash.
There were other issues with the show.
KK repeatedly asked some of the organisers to get off the stage, switch off the backlights to cut the heat but nothing worked. And then, probably in a state of panic, some of the organisers sprayed the hall with fire extinguishers, allegedly to disperse the crowd.
“It was total hell, they were spraying carbon monoxide. It’s poison. We thought they were using some smoke machine to create a magical atmosphere. And then we realised they were spraying chemicals used to extinguish fire,” Trisha Banerjee, who was present in the hall, told Moneycontrol.
Banerjee said she repeatedly told the organisers not to use the fire extinguishers but no one cared. Repeated attempts to reach the organisers proved futile.
Rupam Islam, a top singer, said in a telephonic interview that he is shocked at KK’s death. “Nazrul Mancha is a hell hole for performers, singers. Nothing works in that hall and yet such a big event was hosted. Who was in charge?”
Blame game erupts
The shocking death has now snowballed into a huge controversy with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party targeting the administration over poor arrangements at the venue and the ruling Trinamool Congress saying death should not be politicised.
"There needs to be an inquiry as to why there were no security arrangements. There was a total lapse on the part of the administration to ensure proper security arrangements,” BJP spokesperson Samik Bandhopadhyay said in an interview. “Everyone is trying to cover it up by saying he got the best medical treatment. No, he did not.”
Bengal Congress president and the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, too, demanded a probe. He told reporters in Kolkata that a fair inquiry must be conducted. “Let the cops conduct a fair investigation, let there be no cover ups.”
BJP strongman in Bengal Suvendu Adhikari went a step further and asked for an inquiry by the Enforcement Directorate. “Who paid those huge amounts in cash to KK? Certainly not the college students. So, who called him for the show? And who made the payment? Was it to galvanise the student unions in favour of TMC? I would like to have an answer,” Adhikari told Moneycontrol.
Interestingly, the two college unions that invited KK for the show are government-funded institutions, not among the rich colleges in the city. Gurudas College is in old Beliaghata, a north Kolkata neighbourhood that houses a memorial for Mahatma Gandhi and Jagabandhu College is a nondescript educational institution in Behala in South Kolkata.
“Was it to show the strength of the ruling party among the students? Someone must answer,” asked Adhikari.
Trinamool’s state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said the BJP should stop its vulture brand of politics. “The BJP should not politicise the death.”
If this was not enough, a seasoned singer from Kolkata, Rupankar Bagchi, took a pot-shot at KK the day he died, saying it is time Bengal starts valuing its singers and starts paying them decent cash for performances. “Who is this KK? We sing much better than him. This hype over Bollywood is totally unnecessary. People do not want to pay local singers but splurge cash on singers from Mumbai,” said Bagchi in a Facebook live.
Bagchi, who was heavily trolled, later told Moneycontrol he wanted to take a dig at the local organisers who get excited about Bollywood singers and pay a pittance to local singers. “Why should I be against KK,” he said.
Bagchi found support from Nachiketa Chakravarty, Kolkata’s maverick singer, who said recognition from people is important. “Else Satyajit Ray would be staying in a small house and Subhas Ghai in a bungalow. Rupankar has raised some very legitimate points. We need to stand with him. KK has died like a king, we should celebrate it and not mourn it. Any star should have the capacity to handle crowds,” Chakravarty told a Bengali daily.
Stuck in the middle is the ruling TMC. Top leaders of the party feel the organisers should have handled the events professionally and that KK’s death and alleged lack of timely medical intervention is a big blow to CM Mamata Banerjee’s Brand Bangla.
The state government organised a 21-gun salute for the singer. Quipped a political analyst: “This 21 minutes was very crucial for KK, it took him from life to death. He should have been taken to a hospital in ten minutes. There were many options. Gun salutes won’t bring him back.”