Noted journalist B G Verghese passes away

Highlights: 

• Eminent journalist B G Verghese, a Ramon Magsaysay award winner and former editor of leading dailies Hindustan Times and Indian Express, passed away at the age of 87 after brief illness.
• Verghese was diagnosed for dengue a month back and was suffering from low-grade fever and weakness for last couple of weeks. 
• He was survived by his wife Jamila and sons Vijay and Rahul.
• Verghese, who authored many books, was editor of Hindustan Times from 1969 to 1975 and The Indian Express from 1982 to 1986. 
• He was also information adviser to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from 1966 to 1969 but was critical of her for imposing the Emergency in 1975.
• A crusader for civil rights, Verghese has long worked on problems of development. 
• He was part of the Editors Guild of India Fact Finding Mission after the Gujarat riots in 2002.
• His books include Waters of hope, India's North East, Fourth Estate (2005) and his autobiography First Draft: Witness to Making of Modern India.
• Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash said demise of Verghese was a big loss and recalled his fight for media rights during Emergency imposed by the then Indira Ganshi government in 1975.