Kept in dark about Vishnu Wagh's death, allege his siblings

The siblings of eminent writer and former Deputy Speaker of Goa Assembly Vishnu Wagh, who died in South Africa last week, Thursday alleged that they were kept in the dark about his death.

Wagh's wife, in an audio message released on Wednesday evening, had announced that he died on February 8 during his tour of South Africa.

Wagh's brother Ramrao, a professor in Goa University, and his two sisters - Smita Somnath Naik and Jyotsna Praveen Chumbalkar - issued a joint press statement on Thursday saying they were kept in the dark about his death as well as his whereabouts.

"...It is with deep sadness that we wish to inform you that we have been kept in dark about the news of his death and whereabouts ofVishnu Wagh," the statement says.

They said they did not have any information that he was being taken to South Africa when his health was deteriorating.

"Apart from grappling with the loss, we are also trying to gather facts about his death and would like to express our concerns about the manner in which the persons who accompanied him to South Africa have chosen to reveal this matter to public five days after the actual death, bypassing close family members and relatives," it says.

"We would appreciate if people wait for some more time for the truth about his death to emerge and refrain from calling us to inquire details about his last rites," the statement reads.

Wagh, 53, a former BJP MLA and Deputy Speaker died in South Africa where he was on a tour with his wife. He had been ailing since August 2016 after he suffered a heart stroke.

Wagh was a BJP MLA representing St Andre constituency in North Goa between 2012-17.

He wrote over 20 plays in Marathi, three musical plays, 18 Konkani plays, 16 one-act plays and six volumes of poetry.