Delhi man playing lord Ram suffers heart attack on stage, dies

NEW DELHI: A 56-year-old man died after he suffered a heart attack on stage while performing the role of Lord Rama at a Ramlila in Vishwakarma Nagar of Shahdara, police on Sunday said.

According to police, the deceased, identified as Sushil Kaushik, was a property dealer.

A senior police officer said they got information from a hospital that a man who was performing on stage suffered a heart attack.

He said that a video also showed him touching his chest and leaving the stage before collapsing.

"We also sent our team to the Ramlila spot to know if he was feeling well before his performance," said the officer.

His family members did not suspected any foul play, but "we are investigating into the matter," he said.

Meanwhile, Rahul Kaushik, a family member, told PTI that Sushil was one of the founding members of the "Jai Shri Ramlila" committee.

"Uncle had been performing the role of Raja Ram since 1987. He also used to sing," he said.

Sushil was performing Sita's 'swayamvar' scene which required him to break the bow, however, while singing a song, he felt a sudden chest pain and went backstage, where he collapsed, Rahul said.

His wife and son, present there, rushed him to a nearby hospital, where he was put on a ventilator. After one hour, he was declared dead, Rahul said.

Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said the death could be linked with COVID vaccine.

"It is a common discussion that after the COVID-19 vaccine, such cases are continuously appearing in India, where young people are dying of heart attacks while walking," he said on X in Hindi.

A video of the incident widely circulated on social media showed Sunil performing the scene and then rushing backstage.