Veteran journalist and writer Kuldip Nayar passed away in New Delhi today (Aug 23) at the age of 95 years following a brief illness. He was suffering from pneumonia and died at 12:30 am, his family said.
Nayar is survived by his wife and two sons. He was cremated at Lodhi crematorium in south Delhi.
Born in Sialkot in Pakistan in 1923, Nayar, who was also the High Commissioner of India to the UK and was nominated to Rajya Sabha, was one of the first journalists to be put in jail during Emergency.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and several other politicians took to twitter to mourn Kuldip Nayar’s demise.
Sad to hear of the passing of Kuldip Nayar, veteran editor and writer, diplomat and parliamentarian, and a determined champion of democracy during the Emergency. His readers will miss him. Condolences to his family and associates #PresidentKovind
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 23, 2018
Kuldip Nayar was an intellectual giant of our times. Frank and fearless in his views, his work spanned across many decades. His strong stand against the Emergency, public service and commitment to a better India will always be remembered. Saddened by his demise. My condolences.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 23, 2018
In his autobiography ‘Beyond The Lines’ published in 2012, he wrote how he had to migrate to Delhi after Partition.
