Matua community matriarch Binapani Devi dies at 100

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited her earlier in the day, again went to the hospital to pay her final respects. Mamata announced that Devi’s last rites will be performed with full state honours. She also described the death as a “personal loss”.

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The chief adviser of All India Matua Mahasangha, Binapani Devi, popularly known as ‘Boro Ma’, passed away on Tuesday. (File)

The matriarch of the Matua community, Binapani Devi, popularly known as Boro Maa, died due to age-related ailments on Tuesday night. Devi, 100, was on ventilator support at the SSKM Hospital since Sunday and breathed her last at 8.52 pm, doctors said.

Boro Maa was suffering from high fever, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and mild diabetes, they said. “She was in an ‘extremely critical’ condition, since Monday night. Her fever turned to pneumonia. Her lungs were infected. We tried our level best,” they said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited her earlier in the day, again went to the hospital to pay her final respects. Mamata announced that Devi’s last rites will be performed with full state honours. She also described the death as a “personal loss”.

“Today, we have lost Binapani Devi. It is a personal loss for me. It is also a great loss to the Matua community. She was like a guardian to me and supported me on a number of occasions. My ministers will oversee her last journey. Her body will be taken out from the hospital tomorrow (Wednesday) morning to Thakurnagar and a pilot car will escort the convoy. She will be cremated with full state honours,” said the Chief Minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi condoled the death of the matriarch of the Matuas.

In a tweet, Modi said, “Boro Maa Binapani Thakur was an icon of our times.. Her emphasis on social justice and harmony will never be forgotten… I will always cherish the interaction I had with her.” He also posted a photograph of his meeting with Boro Maa in February.

The Matuas are Namasudras, a Scheduled Caste group with a presence in at least six parliamentary seats.

First uploaded on: 06-03-2019 at 05:17 IST

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