By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 28 Aug: Senior journalist Rakesh Khanduri, who was currently posted as State Bureau Chief with Amar Ujala Dehradun, passed away following a cardiac arrest late last night. His last rites were performed at the Kharkhari cremation ground in Haridwar, today.
He had undergone a bypass surgery yesterday morning at AIIMS Rishikesh but could not survive. His condition is reported to have worsened following the bypass surgery. According to his close friends, Khanduri had been struggling with heart ailments for some time now.
Governor Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami have condoled the passing away. The CM also visited the residence of Khanduri in Doiwala today to offer his condolences to the bereaved family. Other cabinet ministers including Subodh Uniyal, Satpal Maharaj, Dhan Singh Rawat and Ganesh Joshi have also condoled the passing away of Khanduri. BJP MP and State party Chief Mahendra Bhatt has also expressed his grief. The Chief Minister as well the cabinet ministers have liberally praised Khanduri for his genuine and committed journalism and objective reporting. A number of politicians including the CM and the ministers and Congress leaders Karan Mahara and SK Dhasmana, BJP leader Manveer Chauhan, journalists and others took to social media to express their condolences. Former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank also condoled the passing away of Khanduri.
Khanduri was a softspoken person and easily approachable. He was a keen mouth organ player, also, and used to share his musical renderings on social media.
Rakesh Khanduri provided his services in both Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Before rejoining Amar Ujala around eight years ago, he also worked for some time for a news portal called Dainik Uttarakhand. He used to commute daily from Doiwala to Dehradun for work.
PCC Chief Karan Mahara and other BJP and Congress leaders have also condoled the passing away of Khanduri. Director General, Information, Banshidhar Tiwari, Joint Director Dr Nitin Upadhyay, and senior journalists have condoled the untimely passing away of Khanduri. They also said that Khanduri will be missed for a long time. The Uttarakhand Press Club executive has also condoled the passing of Khanduri.
