Bihar’s renowned mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh took his last breath on Thursday after a prolonged illness. His family has alleged that they had to keep the mathematician’s body outside the hospital as they were given an ambulance only after two hours.
Vashishtha Narayan Singh passed away at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) in Patna on Thursday, his family have accused the hospital of negligence.
The mathematicians was born on April 2, 1942 and had been suffering from schizophrenia for 40 years. The 77-year-old is said to have challenged Einstein’s theory of relativity and was known for his contributions to the field of mathematics.
Expressing grief over Vashishtha Narayan Singh’s death, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said, it has caused an irreparable loss to the state and the country. The chief minister announced that Vashishtha Narayan Singh will be cremated with full state honours, an official release said.
“I am pained with the news of Dr Vashishtha Narayan Singh’s death. With him gone, the country has lost a great talent in the field of science and knowledge,” CM Nitish Kumar tweeted.
His family members alleged they were forced to wait for an ambulance outside Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), with his body on a stretcher. They also said, only after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced that he would be cremated with state honours, the family was provided with an ambulance. The incident triggered a row on social media.
Mr Singh, a resident of Basantpur in Bhojpur district, was shifted to PMCH last month with prolonged illness. However, he was discharged. On Thursday, he was brought to the hospital after his condition worsened. Doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Vashishtha Narayan Singh was born in Basantpur village of Bhojpur district in Bihar. Vashishtha Narayan Singh completed his schooling in Netarhat in undivided Bihar.
Vashishtha Narayan Singh did his schooling from Netarhat school in undivided Bihar. He studied at Patna Science College after which he went to University of California in 1965 and completed his PhD on cycle vector space theory in 1969.
Vashishtha Narayan Singh had taught at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. He was also a visiting professor at BN Mandal University, Madhepura.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief by tweeting on his official handle. PM Modi described the death of renowned mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh as the loss of a rare talent in the field of science.
“Saddened by the news of the death of mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh. In his death, the country has lost one of its rare talents in the field on science,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter.
When the news of hospital negligence broke out, several Twitter users slammed the state government for the hospital’s apathy in handling of the matter. Hospital authorities, however, responded that they were discussing if his body should be sent for a post-mortem.
