Veteran journalist Vinod Dua passes away at 67

New Delhi, Dec 4: Veteran journalist Vinod Dua passed away on Saturday, his daughter and actor-comic Mallika Dua announced on her social media page. He was aged 67.

Dua was in the Intensive Care Unit for a week. The last rites of the well-known journalist will be performed on Sunday, according to his daughter.

Vinod Dua was earlier hospitalised after testing positive for Covid and lost his wife, radiologist Padmavati 'Chinna' Dua, to the virus in June, Mallika Dua 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 hospitalised 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.

Mallika, consoling his death, on Instagram wrote, "There will never be another like you. My first and best friend. My Papaji. Very few live as large and glorious a life as you did. Always up for a good time. Always ready for a challenge. Loved a good fight 🤣. Always there for his children. A self made, lion-hearted legend who roared in rebellion till his last breath. He feared nothing, least of all death. Thank you for being the BEST dad in the world.

I'm sure you and mama are eating chapli kebab and discussing "mallika itna kyun ladti hai sabse. Kaise manage karegi 🤣" The most courageous, irreverent , compassionate and funny man I know. What a guy. An ordinary boy born in Nabi Karim who took on the high and mighty and won, till the end. Padmashree Vinod Dua. Even at your weakest, you gave Indian Journalism a landmark judgment. No journalist will be randomly slapped with a sedition case because Vinod Dua fought that fight for them, as he always has. Heaven is just so f**ing lucky, it has my whole entire life. We won't live in fear and grief forever. We will live with pride and gratitude because look at the extraordinary parents we got. I wouldn't trade my destiny for anything. It gave me Vinod and Chinna. Nobody gets double lucky."