According to Bernama, Ramesh died this morning. He was Zahid’s special officer in charge of matters related to the Indian community.

He was appointed to the post on Dec 24.

Ramesh died of a heart attack, Malaysia Gazette reported.

In a statement, Zahid offered his condolences to Ramesh’s family, urging them to be patient and strong following the loss of their loved one.

“I greatly appreciate his service and all he has done for the community and country,” said Zahid, who is also rural and regional development minister.

A staunch supporter of Barisan Nasional (BN) and former prime minister Najib Razak, Ramesh was also president of Pertubuhan Minda dan Sosial Prihatin.

He was a controversial figure and had been charged in court in February 2021 with uploading offensive content on Twitter.

In August 2020, he was quizzed over a statutory declaration by an individual alleging that a prominent opposition political leader was involved in a sodomy case.

The individual who had made the declaration later lodged a police report claiming that Ramesh influenced him into making the accusation.