Former Union Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi passes away

New Delhi: Congress leader and former Union Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, who was in coma since 2008, passed away at Apollo Hospital here, doctors said.

"He took his last breath on Monday," an Apollo doctor.

Dasmunshi had suffered a brain stroke in 2008 and was admitted to AIIMS. Later he was shifted to home, and in 2009 he was admitted to Apollo Hospitals here.

He was also a former All India Football Federation (AIFF) President.

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Dasmunsi in 2006 became the first Indian to be a match commissioner in a FIFA World Cup game when he performed the role in a group stage game between Australia and Croatia in the 2006 World Cup.

Dasmunsi was heading the Indian football governing body at the time of his stroke in 2008, which led to Praful Patel taking over as president.

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