The building in Patna from which Sameer Husain fell. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Jan. 7: The 34-year-old son of “Herbal Queen” Shahnaz Husain died today after falling from his father-in-law’s third-floor flat here last evening.

Police said the fall was probably accidental but did not rule out suicide.

Sameer Husain, the only son of the owner of Shahnaz Husain Herbals, is said to have been depressed for some time. Sources said he had been “upset at being given a minor role in his mother’s company”, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of herbal products.

The young man fell from the balcony at Maqbool Apartments on Patna’s Exhibition Road around 6.10pm yesterday. He suffered multiple fractures and died of his injuries this morning at the Rajeshwar nursing home in Kankerbagh.

Sameer’s father-in-law Mahfooz Alam, a Patna High Court lawyer, was in the flat when the incident took place. Sameer’s wife Rabya, who had been at her uncle’s place in Dhanbad for the past two days with the couple’s four-year-old daughter Husna, returned today in a state of shock.

Shahnaz Husain Group spokesperson Siddharth Sengupta dismissed the “multiple theories doing the round”.

Sameer Husain and Shahnaz Husain

“We just know that Sameer fell from the balcony and could not be saved (despite the) best efforts by doctors. Only a post-mortem will reveal the exact nature of the injuries,” he said.

Sameer, in charge of sales and marketing strategy at Shahnaz Husain Herbal, had arrived in Patna from New Delhi a week ago with Rabya and Husna. He apparently intended to spend his winter vacation here.

Sameer loved rap and western music and was fond of body art. He had his name tattooed on his right hand and several other tattoos on his shoulders and back.

Shahnaz, who has been advised bed rest, will not be coming to Patna. Sengupta said: “We have sent some people to stand by the family and look after things there.”

“As of now, it looks to be a case of accidental death,” Patna senior superintendent of police Kundan Krishnan said. “His father-in-law said Sameer had asked him to make tea for him before going to the balcony.”

Krishnan confirmed that no suicide note was found. “We are waiting for the post-mortem report to decide the possible line of investigation.”