Veteran journalist Vinod Dua dies at 67

Veteran journalist Vinod Dua, who was admitted to Apollo Hospital's intensive care unit, has died, his daughter and actor-comic Mallika Dua said on Saturday. He was 67.

The last rites of the well-known journalist, who was hospitalised with Covid earlier this year and lost his wife, radiologist Padmavati 'Chinna' Dua, to the virus in June, will be performed at the Lodhi crematorium here on Sunday, she said.

"Our irreverent, fearless and extraordinary father, Vinod Dua has passed away. He lived an inimitable life, rising from the refugee colonies of Delhi to the peak of journalistic excellence for over 42 years, always, always speaking truth to power.

"He is now with our mom, his beloved wife Chinna in heaven where they will continue to sing, cook, travel and drive each other up the wall," Mallika Dua wrote on her Instagram Stories.

Vinod Dua, a Hindi broadcast journalism pioneer with stints in Doordarshan and NDTV, was moved to the ICU of Apollo Hospital on Monday.

Vinod Dua and his wife were in a hospital in Gurgaon when the second Covid wave was at its peak. The journalist's health had suffered ever since and he had been in and out of hospitals.

The couple is also parents to elder daughter Bakul Dua, a clinical psychologist.