Senior journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik dies at 78

Senior journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik died on Tuesday after fainting at his Gurugram home. He was 78. He is survived by a son and a daughter.

“The senior journalist fainted in the bathroom at his Gurugram house in the morning and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead,” his private assistant Mohan told PTI. He added that Vaidik was healthy in general and had even gone to Delhi on Monday. “The doctors have suspected heart attack to be the possible cause of death,” Mohan said.

Vaidik worked with the Press Trust of India (PTI) for a decade as the Founder-Editor of its Hindi news agency Bhasha. He also held the position of editor (views) at Navbharat Times of the Times Group. He was also the last chairperson of Bharatiya Bhasha Sammelan, an organisation working to protect the rights of Indian languages.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh paid tributes to the veteran journalist on his official Twitter handle. “Shri Ved Pratap Vaidik ji was a fierce journalist and columnist who used to express his opinion on contemporary issues through his writings. He also had a deep hold on national and international subjects. His demise has left a void in Hindi journalism. My condolences to his family. Om Shanti,” Singh tweeted in Hindi.

Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said Vaidik was a fearless journalist. “My heartfelt tribute to senior journalist Ved Pratap Vaidik ji. He will always be remembered as a fearless journalist. He was a good friend of mine personally, his demise is a great loss to the journalism world. May god give peace to the departed soul and give strength to the family members. Om Shanti,” he said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also condoled the demise of the veteran journalist.

(With Agency inputs)