President condoles UNI GM M K Laul's death

New Delhi, Jun 27 (UNI) President Pratibha Devisingh Patil condoled the death of UNI General Manager Mahinder Kumar Laul.

In a message from Indore , where she is on a tour , Ms Patil said Mr Laul's valuable contributions to UNI as a journalist would always be remembered.

Laul, 52, died here this morning following cardiac arrest.

He is survived by his wife, daughter and son.

He will be cremated at Shahpura crematorium near CRPF camp in Tilak Vihar in West Delhi at 1100 hrs tomorrow.

Minutes before he was to be discharged from a private nursing home in Kirti Nagar, Laul complained of breathlessness and collapsed soon, family members said.

Laul was admitted to Kalra Nursing Home on June 24 following fever and chest congestion.

A member of National Integration Council, Laul started his career in journalism with UNI which he joined in 1981 as an editorial trainee and rose to the position of General Manager in 2005.

During his 27 years of service, Laul, who was also a member of the Press Council of India, worked in different capacities in the editorial and reporting departments before assuming administrative responsibility in the organisation.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was among the first to condole the untimely demise of Laul. His son and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal also expressed grief over the sudden death of UNI General Manager.

UNI bureaux across the country held condolence meetings to mourn the death of Laul.

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