Former East Bengal midfielder Kalia Kulothungan lost his life in a tragic accident at his hometown of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu on Friday.
Kulothungan, 40, was reportedly returning home in his two-wheeler after attending a U-16 football tournament some distance away from his village, when an unidentified vehicle hit him from behind, while he was crossing a bridge.
“His two-wheeler rammed the side railing of the bridge and he suffered severe head injuries which caused heavy internal bleeding, leading to his immediate death,” said the police as quoted by the Times of India.
A former captain of the Tamil Nadu Santosh Trophy team, Kulothungan also played for the likes of Mumbai FC and Mohammedan Sporting SC, but his most memorable moments as a player came in the Red and Gold jersey, with whom he won the historic ASEAN cup in 2003 at Jakarta.
During his time at East Bengal, the midfielder was also a part of two consecutive National Football League title triumphs (2002-03 and 2003-04) under coach Subhas Bhowmick. He scored seven times for the Kolkata giants and shared a dressing room with some legends of the game. Bhaichung Bhutia, Cristiano Junior, Raman Vijayan and Mike Okoro were the other players who plied their trade with East Bengal during that period. Kulothungan, also won the IFA Shield and CFL twice, while also lifting the Independence Day Cup and the Durand Cup – in which he scored in the final.
After three golden years with East Bengal, he switched sides and joined Mohammedan Sporting in 2005 and also came back to play for Mohun Bagan in the latter part of his career making him one of the just few players to have represented all of the three Kolkata elites.
Mohammedan SC even took to twitter to convey their condolences for the sad demise of their former player. “We at Mohammedan Sporting Club deeply saddened to hear about the untimely demise of former midfielder Kalia Kulothungan. Remembering his wonderful and gentle soul will forever remain in our hearts. May he rest in peace,” they said in a post.
Kulothungan last played for Bhawanipore FC in the second division I-League.