Indian TikToker-Turned-Politician Sonali Phogat Dies of Heart Attack

Sonali Phogat began her career as an anchor on India’s public service broadcaster Doordarshan. Later, she earned fame as a TikTok star. She also participated in Big Boss, a reality TV show, before entering politics in 2008.

Indian actress-turned-politician Sonali Phogat has died of a heart attack at the age of 42 in India's Goa state.

According to media reports, Phogat complained of uneasiness at a restaurant in Anjuna, a coastal village in the state, on Monday. The politician was then taken to St. Anthony Hospital in North Goa, but was declared brought dead. She is survived by her only daughter.

Police have ruled out any foul play and said that prima facie, the cause of the death is established as a heart attack, although further medical examination is ongoing.

Phogat was born in Bhutan Kalan, a small village in the Hisar district of Haryana state. Born to a farmer father, she had four siblings -- three sisters and a brother. She was an arts graduate.

In 2008, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was appointed national vice-president of the party’s women's wing.

Controversies Haunting Phogat

Phogat’s career was marred by several controversies. In 2016, when her husband Sanjay Phogat’s body was found near his farmhouse in Hisar city, media reports claimed that the man had died "under mysterious circumstances." The couple had been married for 10 years.

In 2020, Phogat was captured on camera slapping and beating a senior government official with her slippers for allegedly insulting her. Soon after the video went viral, the police launched a probe, but Phogat said she would do it again if she saw anyone disrespecting women.

In 2021, during a live session on social media, she used a prohibited term for Scheduled Caste people. The Supreme Court of India declared it unconstitutional.