BENGALURU: HS Doreswamy — Gandhian, one of Karnataka’s last links to the freedom struggle and an inspiration to generations of civil-rights activists — passed away around 1.30pm on Wednesday at a Bengaluru hospital. He was 103. Doreswamy tested positive for Covid-19 on May 6 and was treated at Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research for nearly a week. He was readmitted on May 14 with breathing difficulties and fatigue. “The cause of death is severe valvular heart disease, a heart failure. The precipitating factors could be Covid-19 and age,” said Dr CN Manjunath, director of the hospital. “He had a pre-existing heart disease for over 10 years and suffered from leakage of the left-side valve. He had chronic obstructive lung disease, for which he was undergoing treatment at our hospital for more than a decade,” he said. Jayadeva doctors recalled that Doreswamy was in the hospital more than a dozen times in the last 7-8 years, but this time he was extremely philosophical. “He was saying, ‘Why should I occupy this bed and let youngsters not be treated? I have lived enough. Why (do you) waste medicines on me?’ This time, he appeared to have dropped his willpower to recover,” Dr Manjunath said. A firm believer in democracyDoreswamy was a firm believer in democracy and never missed a chance to exercise his franchise. He is survived by a son and a daughter. His wife Lalithamma died in December 2019. Known for active participation in the Quit India movement, Doreswamy’s activism continued even after the country became independent. He was jailed for 14 months in 1943-1944. He was in the forefront of ‘Mysuru Chalo’ movement in 1947 to install a democratic, responsible state government and compel the Mysuru Maharaja to accede to the Indian state, after Independence. He participated in the Karnataka unification movement and was part of the agitation during the Emergency. He supported the India Against Corruption movement recently. He was cremated with state honours in Chamarajpet. His wish to give away his body for research remained unfulfilled because of Covid reasons.