India honours Kuldip Nayar with Padma Bhushan
Published : 26 Jan 2019, 13:21
Kuldip Nayar, veteran Indian journalist and a fearless champion of media freedom, has been posthumously honoured with the Indian government’s third highest civilian honour—Padma Bhushan—on the eve of the country’s Republic Day today.
The honour is a fitting tribute to Nayar, a regular columnist for The Daily Star for long whose perceptive analysis and comments on a range of issues earned him wide respect, as he was imprisoned during the Emergency imposed by the then government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1976-77.
The honour was announced by the Indian government late on Friday night on the eve of the Republic Day.
Nayar, also a well-known writer known for his uncompromising stand on secularism, human rights and liberty, died on August 23 last year at his Delhi house after a prolonged spell of age-related ailments. He was at that time 95.
Nayar, a former editor of The Indian Express newspaper, was a life-long votary of robust India-Bangladesh relations and an ardent advocate of India’s troubled ties with Pakistan.
Source: thedailystar