Veteran journalist Girilal Jain died in New Delhi on Monday morning following a prolonged illness. He was 71.
Mr Jain had been admitted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences about a month ago with ruptured intestines. He was operated on July 1, following which his condition deteriorated. He was shifted to the intensive care unit the next day. His condition turned critical after his liver collapsed from cirrhosis and portal hypertension. He was put on ventilator and lapsed into coma a week ago, reports UNI.
He was cremated at Nigambodh Ghat later in the evening.
The Vice-President, Mr KR Narayanan, and the Prime Minister, Mr PV Narasimha Rao, were among those who expressed grief over the death of Jain.
The Welfare Minister, Mr Sitaram Kesri, the Power Minister, Mr NKP Salve, and some other Congress leaders, the Bharatiya Janata Party president, Mr LK Advani, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, Mr MM Joshi attended the funeral. Several journalists including Mr Nihal Singh, Mr Arun Shourie, Mr Prabhu Chawla, Mr Dileep Padgaonkar and MJ Akbar were among those who were present.
Wreaths were placed on the body of Jain on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr KP Singh Deo, before his son, Mr S. K. Jain, lit the pyre.
Jain, known for his bold writing, was the Chief Editor of The Times of India from 1978 to 1988, when he retired from active journalism. He continued to write for several publications until he fell ill about a month ago.
Born in Sonepat in 1922, Jain had his early schooling there and graduated from Hindu College in Delhi.
The Statesman, 20 July 1993