Tribal leader and ex-Congress MP Maurice Kujur dies at 84

Noted tribal leader and former Lok Sabha member Maurice Kujur died at a hospital here on Sunday following a prolonged illness. He was 84.

Kujur was undergoing treatment at a private hospital where he breathed his last in the early hours, family sources said. Born in November 1935 at Belmunda village in Sundargarh district, Kujur won the Sundargarh parliamentary constituency as a Congress candidate in 1984.

He also worked as chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes from 2008 to 2011. A host of dignitaries including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have condoled his death.

"I am deeply saddened over the demise of former Sundargarh MP Maurice Kujur. I convey my sympathies to the bereaved family," the chief minister said in a message.

Odisha Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik also expressed profound grief over Kujur's death. "My deepest condolences on the demise of eminent Congress leader & former MP of Sundergarh, Shri Maurice Kujur. He will be remembered for the decades of public service he gave to India. May his soul rest in peace," Patnaik said.

Closely associated with several organizations, Kujur had made constant efforts to improve the social status of tribals.

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