Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national chairman and state president Panakkad Sayed Hyderali Shihab Thangal, 74, died on Sunday.
Thangal was undergoing treatment for cancer at a private hospital near Kochi where he died by noon. The funeral will be held in his home town Malappuram on Monday.
Thangal took over as IUML president in 2009 following the death of his brother Panakkad Sayed Muhammedali Shihab Thangal. They belong to the Pukkoya family of Panakkad in Malappuram. Hyderali Shihab Thangal was an Islamic scholar and headed many religious bodies.
The Congress party decided to call off all official programmes scheduled for Monday as a mark of respect, including the programmes of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Wayanad constituency. IUML is a long time coalition partner of Congress.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other prominent leaders condoled Thangal's death. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also expected to come down to pay his last respects on Monday morning.
Thangal was widely hailed as a leader with utmost compassion and was quite active in charity workers. The soft spoken leader always gave high regards to secular values and took initiatives for ensuring communal harmony amidst tense situations.
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