Sidharth Shukla's funeral: Final rites unlikely today amid actor's post-mortem

Update: The Mumbai Police has confirmed that the actor's mortal remains will remain at Cooper Hospital overnight.

Actor Sidharth Shukla's sudden demise shocked the entire country on Thursday morning. The actor is said to have suffered from a massive heart attack, though the precise cause is yet to be determined. An official of the Cooper Hospital in Mumbai told PTI that the actor was announced dead at arrival. The post-mortem of Shukla is currently being conducted at the hospital by a team of 5 specialists. 

Sidharth Shukla's body to be taken to his residence at 7 pm, may delay funeral

As per sources, Sidharth Shukla's mortal remains will be taken to his residence at Oshiwara at 7 pm after his post-mortem is completed. Shukla's post-mortem is currently underway and is being performed by a team of five doctors at the Cooper Hospital where he had been pronounced 'dead-on-arrival' on Thursday morning. He was brought there by his sister and brother-in-law whose statements have been recorded. The post-mortem of Sidharth Shukla will also be videographed.

According to sources, the family of the late actor wanted his funeral to take place on Thursday itself but the final rites are unlikely to happen today on account of the due-process involved. At the time of publishing this article, a number of Sidharth Shukla's co-stars and fellows from the entertainment industry have reached his residence to pay their respects and condole his demise.

Sidharth Shukla dies aged 40

Sidharth Shukla was bought into Cooper Hospital on Thursday morning after he was purportedly found unconscious. Mumbai Police in a statement said that Shukla was found unconscious at his residence and an ambulance was called by his family. Mumbai Police added that the family informed them that the actor was calm until the last evening but at around 3-4 am in the morning, he felt uneasy and took some medicines before going to sleep. They added that family and friends accompanied the body to Cooper hospital, where the doctors declared him dead on arrival at 10.30 AM.

His PR team issued a statement on his demise. The team stated:

"All of you have heard the shocking news, we are as much in shock as you all are. We have a request, we really want all of you to respect and stand with us during these tough times. As Sidharth’s PR team we humbly request the media to draw a line and give his family and loved ones space, and let them grieve. 

We are all in pain. We are as shocked as you are! And all of us knew Sidharth was a private person, so please respect his privacy, his family’s privacy.  And please pray for His Soul To Rest in Peace. 

Regards,

Brand N Buzz"
(Sidharth Shukla’s PR Team)

Image: PTI