Veteran Journalist and Former Diplomat HK Dua Passes Away

His passing, at 88, marks the end of an era in Indian media.

The Wire Staff

His passing, at 88, marks the end of an era in Indian media.

veteran journalist and former diplomat hk dua passes away

H.K. Dua, fourth from left; file photo from 2017.

New Delhi: Veteran journalist and former diplomat H.K. Dua, one of the country's most respected newspaper editors, has passed away. He was 88. Hari Krishan Dua, a Padma Bhushan awardee, was among the longest-serving editors in Indian journalism. Over the course of his career, he was editor-in-chief of the Times of India and editor of Hindustan Times, Indian Express and Tribune.

Colleagues often described him as a principled journalist who chose to stand by his convictions.

Dua held several public roles beyond journalism. He was media adviser to former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and H.D. Deve Gowda and was appointed India's ambassador to Denmark. He was nominated to Rajya Sabha by prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Congress leader Pawan Khera paid tribute on social media, calling Dua "a fountain of knowledge on current affairs" and remembering him as a generous mentor to aspiring journalists and political observers.

His passing has drawn tributes and remembrances from journalists as well as political leaders.

I met H.K. Dua some weeks ago outside the library of the IIC. As always he greeted me with his characteristic smile. I asked him whether he was writing his memoirs, which are important today when editors are spineless. He said it may be too late.
— pamela philipose (@pamelaphilipose) March 4, 2026

Shri HK Dua was forever the willing mentor for pursuants of politics and media. In his passing, we have lost a warm, affable personality - one of the last belonging to the ‘good old school.’ pic.twitter.com/v1kupMj7TF
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) March 4, 2026

H.K. Dua represented what many would call the "old school" of journalism – independent and committed to public discourse. His passing marks the end of an era in Indian media.

Eminent journalist HK Dua, who held the rare distinction of helming editorial operations at three of India’s leading newspapers, passed away on Wednesday, March 4, at the age of 88. https://t.co/BDeVEV8FRO
— The Siasat Daily (@TheSiasatDaily) March 4, 2026

This article went live on March fourth, two thousand twenty six, at forty-one minutes past five in the evening.

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