Former India president Pranab Mukherjee dies at 84

World 
Former India president Pranab Mukherjee dies at 84

Mumbai (Web Desk): Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, who had tested positive for Covid-19 this month, died on Monday. He was 84.

Earlier in the day, New Delhi's Army Hospital (Research And Referral) said Mukherjee had gone into a septic shock after coming down with a lung infection. His medical condition had declined since Sunday, it added.

“India grieves the passing away of Bharat Ratna Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation. A scholar par excellence, a towering statesman, he was admired across the political spectrum and by all sections of society,” Indiam PM Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

The former college teacher and journalist lacked a grassroots political base, but held more than a dozen federal portfolios between 1973 and 2012, ranging from commerce and finance to defence and foreign affairs.