New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India Monday issued a statement, condoling the death of Punjab Kesari editor and former MP Ashwini Chopra.
Chopra died last week, on Saturday, after a prolonged illness. He was suffering from ‘terminal cancer’ and had been admitted to the Medanta Hospital about three weeks ago.
“The Editors Guild of India is grieved by the untimely demise of senior journalist Ashwini Chopra, who was the resident editor of Punjab Kesari, a Hindi-language newspaper brought out by the Hind Samachar Group. Mr Chopra, a former member of Parliament, died after a prolonged illness,” the statement said.
On Chopra’s contribution to Hindi journalism, the Guild said, “The Guild notes the contribution the Hind Samachar group made in upholding independence and freedom of the media in the face of terrorism and violence in Punjab in the 1980’s.”
Chopra is survived by his wife and three children.
About Chopra
Chopra, 63, was the grandson of Lala Jagat Narain, who had founded the Hind Samachar Group and died in a terrorist attack. Chopra’s father Romesh Chander was also assassinated by terrorists.
Popularly known as ‘Minna’, Chopra had earned a postgraduate degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, and was an avid cricket player.
He had played a total of 25 Ranji matches under the name of Ashwini Minna for Punjab.
The senior journalist was also elected to the 16th Lok Sabha from Karnal as a BJP candidate.