Patna: Kamal Singh, 94, the last Maharaja of Dumraon, one of the oldest princely states in India, 75 kms from here died at his Bhojpuri Kothi in Dumraon on Sunday morning. Kamal Singh was the last surviving elected Member of first Lok Sabha. He was elected to Lok Sabha from Buxar constitutency in 1952 and 1957.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered a state funeral for Kamal Singh. His family members told FPJ that since many members of the royal families are expected to come, the funeral will take place on Monday at Buxar on the banks of the Ganga river. His children and grand children are married in princely states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura.
Dumraon has a large industrial estate that has been functional for a century now. Dumraon made textiles and lantern brands are quite popular in the market. With the exceptional work in the textile industry, Singh was appointed as the President of the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in the 70s.
Not only was he known for his work in the textile industry, he was also known for his work in the education sector. He had established colleges in Ara, Dumraon, Buxar and also in Ballia in neighbouring UP. Moreover, he had donated land for the establishment of hospitals at different locations in the old Shahadbad region and gifted 15 acres of land for the construction of a Methodist Church .
In 2017, Dumraon Palace was in the news after the publication of a novel-Half Girl Friend and later release of a film. The film drew controversy and royal family of Dumraon filed a defamation suit in the civil court against Author Chetan Bhagat.The controversy ended following an unconditional apology by Bhagat in the Court. He had filed an affidavit claiming it was a fictional story of the real-life of a royal family.
Chandra Vijay Singh, who filed the defamation suit claiming damage of Rs 1 crore agreed to screening of the film following apology.
In the novel, Dumraon boy who had gone to study in St Stephens College,New Delhi was portrayed poorly. Protests were held across Bihar by the members of the Rajput community against defamatory depiction of the Dumraon royal family.
