Lal Bahadur Shastri's Death - An Unfinished Story to premiere on ZEE5

Mumbai: ZEE5, India’s largest and most comprehensive digital entertainment platform for language content announce the launch of “Lal Bahadur Shastri's Death - An Unfinished Story”, ZEE5’s first docudrama. It shows you what exactly took place after the Tashkent declaration was signed. The infamous truth of how our 2nd Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri died and how the last chapter to his life still remains an unsolved mystery.

The docudrama throws lights on some elements such as the possible meeting with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the involvement of an external agency or that he was poisoned by someone from his own delegation. Promising to expose some uncomfortable truths on the mysterious death of the former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent, the docudrama premieres on 15th August.

ZEE5’s docudrama will see Shastriji’s son Sunil Shastri and his grandson Sidharth Nath Singh take us through what happened that fateful night. Kuldeep Nayyar - a veteran Indian journalist and ex-High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom also shares his view of how he suspects the involvement of TN Kaul, then foreign secretary in Shastri's death.

Sunil Shastri, Shastriji’s son commented, “The first thing my grandmother said after looking at my father’s body was, “It’s surprising that a country’s Prime Minister is dead and nobody raised a question on it?? There is still a big question mark, on how Shastri died. When my father called from Tashkent, my family informed him that people here were very upset with his decision of signing the treaty. However, he had full faith that when he comes back and explains, everybody will be very happy; but as fate had it, they never let him reach or speak to anyone!

Cook Jan Mohammed was the prime suspect in my father’s death. He is believed to be the one who poisoned him. Strangely, he was hired just after the Tashkent declaration and was also the cook to Ambassador TN Kaul, further fuelling our suspicions. His meeting with Subhas Chandra Bose fuels more rumours as to what had exactly happened. 52 years after his death, the family lives in a hope that we will someday know the truth.”

Sidharth Nath Singh, Shastriji’s grandson says, “The fateful day when we get a call, my mother told me that the telephone operator started crying saying that Shastriji is no more. When his body came to India, it had cut marks all over and his face had blue marks. It was a clear indication of poison - to date there we do not have a death certificate, nor there was any post-mortem done.

Is it a coincidence that, Shastriji who was a heart patient – wasn’t staying at the pre-decided place? The room he is put up in has no buzzer- oddly his house help and his doctor’s room was very far! It’s almost like an unbelievable story, the Prime Minister of a country goes to sign a very important

treaty and never comes back- all these things build up suspicion. The family and in fact India also wants that the last page in Shastri's life doesn’t remain a BIG COVER UP!”