Prabin Chandra Das, veteran Assam kabaddi official, dies at 81

Prabin Chandra Das, a recipient of the Assam government's sports award and working president of the All Assam Kabaddi Association, died at his residence on Sunday, November 1. He was 81, Pratidin Time and India Today NE reported.

Das died at around 4:45 pm after battling a complex liver ailment for several weeks, the reports said.

Teacher, goalkeeper, referee

According to Asomiya Pratidin, Das lived in Sarpara village in the Palasbari constituency of South Kamrup. He taught for 34 years at Sarpara ME School and Uparhali High School before retiring in 2012.

Alongside teaching, he built a long career in sport. The paper described him as one of the state's well-known football goalkeepers in his day and an experienced sports administrator who was active in kabaddi, kho-kho and handball. He served as a state-level handball official and a state referee in kho-kho, and went with several Assam kho-kho teams to national events as coach and team manager.

In kabaddi, he was president of the All Assam Kabaddi Referees' Association for about 20 years, Asomiya Pratidin reported, and was later working president of the All Assam Kabaddi Association. His contribution to the game earned him the state government's sports award. In 2024, the South Kamrup Press Club gave him the title "Krira Shri" for his work in sport.

Community roles

Das was also active in local public life. He served as president of the Sarpara Raij Goyrah, president and secretary of the Sarpara Milan Sangha, vice-president of the managing committee of Palasbari RB Higher Secondary School, and general secretary and later adviser of the South Kamrup Sports Association. At the time of his death he was president of the Sarpara Swarna Sahitya Sabha, the paper said.

Tributes

As news of his death spread, residents and representatives of several organisations visited his home to pay their last respects. Condolence messages came from groups including the South Kamrup Press Club, the EP Media Forum South Kamrup, the South Kamrup Sports Association and the All Assam Kabaddi Association, who remembered him for his decades of work for players and grassroots sport in the region.

He is survived by his wife, a son, a daughter and grandchildren.