New Delhi: Senior journalist and Padma Bhushan awardee HK Dua died in New Delhi on Wednesday at the age of 88, his family said, according to The Tribune.
He was admitted to a private hospital three weeks ago and was unwell. His cremation will take place on March 5 at 12 noon at the Lodhi Road crematorium.
Dua was the former editor-in-chief of The Tribune and served as media advisor to former prime ministers HD Deve Gowda and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He also represented India as Ambassador to Denmark.
He led The Tribune from 2003 to 2009 and was instrumental in strengthening the newspaper’s national profile and editorial credibility. During a distinguished career spanning several decades, Dua held senior editorial positions at The Indian Express, The Times of India and Hindustan Times.
In 2009, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, where he participated in debates on media freedom and public policy. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2008 in recognition of his contributions to journalism.
Congress MP Manish Tewari expressed grief at Du’s demise, remembering him as “an editor, even though being an editor still mattered”.
In a post on X, Tewari said Dua stood by his convictions, refused to compromise editorial independence and never sought the favor of political leaders or media owners. He described him as a warm and unassuming individual who expressed his thoughts clearly and with integrity.
“Sad to learn of the death of Sh HK Dua. He was an editor when being an editor still mattered. Editor-in-Chief of Times of India, Hindustan Times, Indian Express & The Tribune chose to live by his convictions rather than become a lackey of the owners and kowtow to politicians for publicity. Media Advisor to Prime Minister of India Bealaaseh. Denmark and nominated to Rajya Sabha by Prime Minister Late Dr. Manmohan Singh. Very a warm human being and utterly unassuming, she knew how to call a spade a spade,” Tewari wrote on ‘X’. (OR)
