IUML leader Banatwala dead

MUMBAI: G.M. Banatwala, president of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and a seven-time member of the Lok Sabha, died here yesterday after a brief illness, his aide said. He was 74. Banatwala is survived by his three brothers, nephews and nieces. His wife expired a few years ago and the couple had no children. Banatwala’s funeral will take place at the Narielwadi Sunni graveyard in south Mumbai this morning. Banatwala had returned last week from Chennai, where he took part in the platinum jubilee celebrations of the IUML. A firebrand orator and Muslim intellectual, the IUML leader represented Ponnani Lok Sabha constituency of Malappuram district in Kerala for seven terms.