Shillong, Feb 20: The funeral for Lok Sabha Shillong MP Dr Ricky Andrew J Syngkon, who passed away yesterday, will be held tomorrow, with friends, family, well-wishers from among the general public and politicians from across the spectrum expected to attend.
The Meghalaya government had declared a holiday in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills to honour Syngkon.
The MP died due to a heart attack while playing futsal. The 54-year-old MP was rushed to the Mawiong Community Health Centre (CHC) for medical attention. However, due to the absence of a doctor, he was referred and shifted to Dr H Gordon Roberts Hospital in Jaiaw.
According to the hospital, the MP was brought in at 7:40 pm and died at 8:42 pm. “When he was brought here, we couldn’t find a pulse. It was a massive cardiac arrest,” the doctor said.
Meanwhile, people from all walks of life were in queues to get a last glimpse and pay their respects to Syngkon at the residence of his late mother in Pohkseh today.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, his wife Mehtab Chandee Agitok Sangma, cabinet ministers and several other political leaders also paid homage, remembering Syngkon as a humble and dedicated public representative.
Later, his mortal remains were taken to his residence at Nongsder in Ri Bhoi district. He will be laid to rest at Sumer.
Syngkon’s sudden demise has left a huge vacuum. People across the Khasi-Jaintia region are feeling the loss and remembered him as a God-fearing man of simple nature who was down-to-earth.
Before entering politics, Syngkon was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at North-Eastern Hill University.
Syngkon contested the Lok Sabha election in 2024 as a member of VPP and defeated three-time Congress MP Vincent H Pala by a huge margin of 371,910 votes.
