February 8, New Delhi: Actor-Athlete Praveen Kumar (74) popularly known for his role as Bheem in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat passed away on Monday night.
According to ANI reports, he will be cremated at the crematorium ground in Punjabi Bagh today.
As per reports, he died after suffering a heart attack. He passed away at his Ashok Vihar residence in Delhi.
“He had a chronic chest infection problem. At night, when he started feeling uneasy, we called the doctor at home. He passed away between 10-10.30 PM following a cardiac arrest,” a relative of Praveen told news agency PTI.
Praveen was a hammer and discus throw athlete before becoming an actor. He won four Asian Games medals and also competed for India in the 1968 Mexico and 1972 Munich Olympics. He also received the Arjuna Award. In addition, he served as the Deputy Commandant of the Border Security Force (BSF).
Other than this, Praveen also got into politics in 2013, joining the Aam Aadmi Party. He contested for the Wazirpur constituency in the Delhi Legislative Assembly elections that year, but lost. He then became a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
