GANGTOK, June 11 - The first woman legislator of Sikkim, Hemlata Chettri, passed away on Wednesday after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was 65.
She was the lone woman member of the first Sikkim Legislative Assembly from 1974 to 1979 after she got elected from the Gyalshing constituency in West Sikkim.
Her husband, Nar Bahadur Khatiwara, is a senior advocate and a former MLA.
In his condolence message, Governor Ganga Prasad said, �I join the people of Sikkim to express my deep sense of grief on the sad demise of two distinguished women personalities, namely Smt Hemlata Chettri and Smt Santosh Nirash, who had set benchmarks in their respective fields of work by their courage and determination.�
Chief Minister PS Tamang said, �I express my deepest condolence on the demise of Smt Hemlata Chettri, the first woman legislator of Sikkim. It was indeed a mournful day for Sikkim, losing two of its pioneering women Smt Hemlata Chettri and Smt Santosh Nirash. My heart goes out to their near and dear ones and prayers for the departed souls.�
Santosh Nirash, the first woman journalist of the State, also passed away here on Wednesday.
SDF supremo and former Chief Minister Pawan Chamling also mourned the demise of Hemlata Chettri in a Facebook post.
