Industrialist and doyen of tea industry B M Khaitan passes away at 92

He made his fortune in tea and went on to acquire Union Carbide's Eveready Industries in 1993, beating the Wadias of Bombay Dyeing in a $96.5-mnn deal, the largest corporate takeover then

Veteran industrialist and Williamson Magor Group (WMG) patriarch Brij Mohan Khaitan died on Saturday morning at his residence in Kolkata due to old age. He was 92 years old.

Considered a doyen of the tea industry in independent India, Khaitan is survived by his younger son, Aditya and daughter Divya Jalan.

Fondly called “Evergreen tea man of India” in business circles, Khaitan had recently retired as non-executive chairman from the boards of Eveready Industries and McLeod Russel – both WMG companies – owing to old age. He continued to serve as chairman emeritus in both these firms.

West Bengal chief