Nana Patekar, one of Indian cinema’s most intense and unflinching actors, died early Thursday at his Goa home after a cardiac arrest. He was 75. By Thursday evening, the news had moved from heartbreak to official procedure: Panaji Police registered an Unnatural Death (UD) case under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
The case does not suggest anything suspicious. It is the standard paperwork that follows a death outside a hospital, especially when a person is brought dead to a medical facility. For fans processing the loss, the police file is part of how a star’s final hours are formally recorded and cleared.
What happened in Goa
Police records say the National Award-winning actor was brought dead to the casualty ward of Manipal Hospital, Bambolim, from his residence at Ocean Park, Dona Paula. ANI reported that PSI Nitin Naik is leading the enquiry.
Dr Shekhar Salkar, chief of oncology at Manipal Hospital, gave the sequence to ANI: “They shifted him to our hospital at around 4:20 or 4:30 am. We also tried our best, but he was brought dead.”
Because the death became a medico-legal case, the hospital filed a report with the police and the UD case followed. In India, this is routine when someone dies at home alone and no doctor is present to certify the cause of death at the scene.
Why the police file matters
An unnatural death case does not mean the police are treating the family with suspicion. It means there is no immediately certifiable natural death at a hospital, so an enquiry must rule out any other cause. For a public figure, this also creates an official record that matches the public account: cardiac arrest, brought dead, case filed, enquiry underway.
- Nana Patekar was 75 and died at his Ocean Park, Dona Paula residence on Thursday morning.
- He was brought dead to Manipal Hospital, Bambolim, around 4:20-4:30 am.
- Panaji Police filed a UD case under Section 194 BNSS; PSI Nitin Naik is leading the enquiry.
- He was cremated with full state honours at his Donje farmhouse in Pune on Thursday night.
A final journey with state honours
Patekar’s body was flown from Goa to Pune on Thursday evening. Thousands of fans turned up at his Donje farmhouse to pay their respects before the last rites, which were performed with full state honours.
His son Malhar Patekar told the media after the funeral: “A person like Nana Saheb never truly leaves us; his achievements have made him immortal.” He also explained that the family went ahead with the rites late Thursday because too much time had already passed since the early morning tragedy.
What stays with his audience
Nana Patekar leaves behind a body of work built on restraint that could turn volcanic without warning. That is the context a simple police file cannot capture, but it is also why the procedural detail matters: even a legend’s exit is subject to the same medico-legal care as any other citizen’s.
The actor is survived by his wife, Neelkanthi Patekar, and son Malhar.
Source: Hindustan Times
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