Bengal pays last respect to KK with gun salute; family to leave for home with body

Kolkata, Jun 1: West Bengal government on Wednesday paid last respect to renowned Bollywood singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, with a gun salute to his mortal remains.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who supervised the proceedings, paid floral tributes to the late singer, whose body was kept at Rabindra Sadan for some time.

Banerjee was seen consoling KK's wife and other family members who were present at the venue.

The 53-year-old singer's body was brought to Rabindra Sadan after a post-mortem examination was conducted at state-run SSKM Hospital earlier in the day, an official said.

His mortal remains will be taken to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport and handed over to his family, who will fly to Mumbai with the body, he said.

KK was declared "brought dead" by doctors of a hospital where he was taken after he "fell unconscious" upon his return to a hotel from a concert on Tuesday night, police said.

Police have registered a case of unnatural death and started an investigation.

The vocalist, who is known for his versatility, has sung in different languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali.