Political leaders, social activists, mediapersons and a host of others from various sections of society gathered at the Lodhi Road crematorium here on Sunday evening to bid adieu to Vinod Mehta, eminent editor and author.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi; BJP veteran L.K. Advani; Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad ; Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia; former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit; and CPI leader D. Raja were among those who attended the last rites of Mr. Mehta. The funeral pyre was lit by his elder brother Major-General (Retd.) Ashok Mehta.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vice-President Hamid Ansari condoled the death. “Frank & direct in his opinions, Vinod Mehta will be remembered as a fine journalist & writer. Condolences to his family on his demise,” Mr. Modi tweeted. Mr. Ansari said Mr. Mehta was among those eminent journalists and writers who expressed their views and opinions in a fearless manner. Paying tributes, the Editors’ Guild said the media world had lost a “liberal, independent voice and the world of public discourse in India, a reflective contributor who spoke his mind without rancour or fear.”
