Journalist Shesh Narayan Singh dies of Covid-19; President Kovind, PM Modi condole demise

Veteran journalist Shesh Narayan Singh passed away on Friday while undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida, officials said.

The 70-year-old journalist was admitted to the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) after being diagnosed positive for the coronavirus, a hospital official said.

A resident of Greater Noida, Singh is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son, his media colleagues said.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of politicians besides media groups paid their tributes to Singh, a veteran journalist, columnist and political commentator.

"The news of the demise of Shri Shesh Narayan Singh, a senior journalist, who is famous for his clear ideas, unambiguous expression and friendly behaviour is very sad. His departure is a big loss for Hindi journalism. My condolences to his heartbroken family and well-wishers," Kovind tweeted in Hindi.

PM Modi said Singh will always be remembered for his contribution to journalism and described his demise as "extremely painful".

Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also paid rich tributes to Singh.

Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Alok Singh and Noida MLA Pankaj Singh took to Twitter to pay their homage to the veteran journalist.

Press colleagues in Noida and Greater Noida remembered him as a "guide and patron" who was "always keen to help and devote time for journalistic initiatives".

"To keep his memory alive, the Noida Media Club (NMC) has decided to organise regular seminars annually from now on to pay homage to him," Noida Medic Club's president Pankaj Parashar said in a statement.

The NMC also announced an initiative to build a memorial in Noida as a mark of respect to those journalists who have lost their lives to the pandemic across India.

Prashar said Covid-19 has claimed lives of three Gautam Buddh Nagar-based journalists earlier -- Kapil Datta, Rohit Sardana and Lalit Mohan.