Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh minister and BJP leader Nanak Ram Bhurji died on Tuesday after falling from an upper floor behind the Darulshafa New MLA Residence complex in Lucknow's Hazratganj area, police said. He was 68.

According to police, the officer in charge of the MLA residence alerted the local police outpost after Bhurji was found lying behind the legislators' residential complex.

Police personnel rushed to the spot and shifted him to Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Director of Civil Hospital Dr GC┬аGupta said Bhurji was brought to the hospital at around 2.35 pm.

'He was brought dead. His body had external injury marks. A postmortem will be done to ascertain the exact cause of death,' Gupta said.

Police said Bhurji was not allotted a room in the new Darulshafa building, and investigators are trying to determine how and why he reached the premises, as well as the circumstances that led to his fall.

A preliminary inquiry has indicated that Bhurji had been suffering from depression for a long time and was frequently seen around the MLA residence complex, police said.

His family has been informed, and the body has been sent for postmortem. Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.