Goa Police has registered an unnatural death case following the death of veteran actor Nana Patekar, launching an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death at his residence.
According to Hindustan Times, Panaji Police registered the case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). The 75-year-old actor died early Thursday morning at his home in Goa after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Police records show that hospital staff brought Patekar to the casualty ward of Manipal Hospital in Bambolim from his residence at Ocean Park in Dona Paula. ANI reported that Police Sub-Inspector Nitin Naik is leading the ongoing inquiry.
The police case is a routine procedure when someone dies at home and arrives at hospital already dead. Authorities register an unnatural death case to establish the circumstances and rule out foul play. In Patekar’s case, the hospital notified the police after treating it as a medico-legal case.
Dr Shekhar Salkar, chief of oncology at Manipal Hospital, told ANI on Thursday that Patekar arrived at around 4:20 or 4:30 am. “We also tried our best, but he was brought dead. Then we had to file a police case because there’s an MLC (medico-legal case),” he said.
Patekar’s family cremated him with full state honours on Thursday night at his farmhouse in Donje, on the outskirts of Pune. His body arrived from Goa on Thursday evening. Thousands of fans gathered at the farmhouse to pay their final respects.
After the last rites, his son Malhar Patekar spoke to the media about his father’s legacy. “A person like Nana Saheb never truly leaves us; his achievements have made him immortal,” he said.
Malhar added that his father believed people should come together and follow a righteous path globally. He said the family would shape the future by carrying forward the vision Nana Saheb had left behind.
Several political leaders and actors attended the funeral. However, many Bollywood figures could not make it because the last rites took place late on Thursday night.
Explaining the timing, Malhar said the family had been in Goa and expected his father’s remains to reach the farmhouse earlier. The journey took longer than anticipated. Given that the tragedy had occurred early that morning, the family decided to proceed with the last rites that night.
Patekar is survived by his wife, Neelkanthi Patekar, and son Malhar.
