Subrata Roy’s mortal remains to be brought to Lucknow; Akhilesh Yadav, Suresh Raina pay tributes

Embattled Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy died on Tuesday due to cardiorespiratory arrest after a prolonged illness, the company said in a statement. He was 75.

Tributes are pouring in from colleagues, politicians, and sportspersons highlighting the profound impact Roy had on the business landscape.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav paid heartfelt tributes to Roy, saying his demise is an emotional loss for the state and the country “because along with being a very successful businessman, he was also a very sensitive person with a big heart who helped countless people and became their support.”

Filmmaker Akashdeep Sabir shared heartfelt sentiments on the profound loss.

“He was admitted because of his deteriorating health… I don’t know what to say. I knew him personally,” expressed Sabir, his voice laden with emotion. “We’ve never had such a person; we are lucky that we had the opportunity to work with him and spend good time with him.”

Former cricketer Suresh Raina said in a social media post, “Great motivator, speaker and sports lover is no more.”

Chetan Upadhyaya, Founder Secretary of the Satya Foundation, offered poignant reflections on the life and legacy of the late business magnate.

“It is a sad day today,” expressed Upadhyaya. “He had started his journey from scratch. He was a highly spiritual person.”

“The mortal remains will be taken to Lucknow tomorrow, and most possibly the last rites will be performed the day after tomorrow,” he added.

According to the company statement, Roy was admitted to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital & Medical Research Institute in Mumbai on Sunday after his health deteriorated.

He passed away at the hospital at 10.30 pm on Tuesday due to a cardiorespiratory arrest following an extended battle with complications arising from metastatic malignancy, hypertension and diabetes, it added.

In his prime, Roy had made the Sahara Group a multi-billion dollar enterprise that counted itself among the biggest employers of the country.

He was also known to have friends among the famous and powerful across the fields of politics and Bollywood.

Roy was at the centre of a huge controversy and faced multiple regulatory and legal battles in connection with his group firms that were accused of circumventing regulations with Ponzi schemes, allegations his group always denied.

He was arrested in 2014 on the orders of the Supreme Court after he failed to appear before it in a contempt case arising out of non-refund of more than ₹20,000 crore to investors by two of his companies. He was later granted bail but troubles continued for his various businesses.