NEW DELHI, July 19: Mr. Girilal Jain, veteran journalist and former Chief Editor of Times of India died early this morning at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He was 71.
Mr. Jain was cremated at Nigambodh Ghat in the evening in the presence of family members, a large number of VIPs, journalists, friends and admirers. Among those present was Mr. LK Advani, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Mr Ram Niwas Mirdha, Mr VN Gadgil and HKL Bhagat.
Mr Jain had slipped into a coma after he was operated upon at the AIIMS two weeks ago. His condition suddenly deteriorated last night and the end came at 3.30 a.m. He is survived by his wife, a son and three daughters.
In his condolence message, the Prime Minister, Mr PV Narasimha Rao, described Mr Jain as a distinguished journalist whose death will be mourned by the large journalistic fraternity. Mr Rao said Mr Jain was a prolific writer and his editorial articles were appreciated equally by his admirers and critics. “He maintained high professional standards throughout his long illustrious career,” the Prime Minister said.
Paying tributes at a condolence meeting held at the BJP headquarters here, Mr Advani described Mr Jain as a high profile journalist, a great thinker who believed in cultural nationalism. “The void created by his death will be felt for a long time in journalistic quarters,” he added.
Mr AB Vajpayee said Mr Jain was a rare combination of intellect, professional integrity and journalistic expertise. His achievements are all the more remarkable as he rose from the ranks and made it to the top, he said.
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr. Bhajan Lal, the All-India Newspapers Editors’ Conference, the Birla Engineering Services, the Indian Foundation for Pre Education and Research, the national president of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Mr Raj Kumar Bhatia, and the Delhi University Students Union have also condoled the death of Mr. Jain.
The Hindu, 20 July 1993