Capt. Lakshmi Sehgal, a veteran of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, died in Kanpur on Monday, aged 97. She is survived by two daughters — CPI(M) leader Subhasini Ali and Anisa Puri. Filmmaker Shaad Ali is her grandson.
Capt. Sehgal was hospitalised last week after a heart attack, followed by a brain stroke. She later slipped into a coma. Her family said Capt. Sehgal had donated her body for medical research. The body was kept at her Kanpur house for people to pay their respects. On Tuesday it will be taken in a procession to S.N. Medical Coll-ege. She was the first captain of the INA’s women’s wing. In 1971, she joined the CPI(M) and represented it in the Rajya Sabha. In 2002, she unsuccessfully stood for President as the joint Left candidate against A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.