Veteran journalist and former group editor of Lokmat Media Dinkar Raikar breathed his last on Friday after a prolonged illness at a private hospital in Mumbai, family sources said.
The 79-year-old journalist is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
“Raikar had tested positive for Covid-19 and was also suffering from dengue. He had been bedridden for some weeks at his residence here and was shifted to a private hospital a few days ago. His lung infection reached 80 per cent and he never recovered from it,” a family member said.
Raikar started his career with the Indian Express group and later joined Lokmat as the editor of its Aurangabad edition. He was later made a group editor.
Condoling Raikar's death, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said, “In him, we have lost an editor who contributed to new values in the field of journalism. He encouraged young journalists to explore and bring in new content and issues.”
Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari said, “He was a moderate, well-studied journalist and an editor. As an editor, he always focused on enlightening the readers. His contribution in the making of many journalists who are currently in the profession is noteworthy. We have lost a cordial journalist who was deeply attached to the society and its issues.”
