Ramachandra Ulaka dead, kin allege foul play

BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR: Senior Congress leader and former minister Ramchandra Ulaka died of a heart attack here in the early hours of Sunday. His body was taken to his hometown Rayagada for cremation. Ulaka, 77, complained of breathing problem and was taken to the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar where doctors declared him dead at 4 am.But the death turned controversial with the eldest son of his first wife, Shiva Shankar Ulaka filing a complaint with the Rayagada police that he suspects his father to have been murdered. “The mother (second wife) and son have killed him for property,” he told mediapersons at Rayagada.There were discrepancies in timing of his death and the manner in which ‘my father’ was rushed to Rayagada has created suspicion that they are hiding something, he said.Deputy superintendent of police, Rayagada, VR Rao told this paper that Ulaka’s funeral has been held up because of the complaint.Police have sought all papers from the Capital Hospital and if necessary, there will be postmortem, Rao said.