Former President Pranab Mukherjee passes away at 84

Former President Pranab Mukherjee passed away at 84. Mukherjee, who served as the 13th President of India, was hospitalized at the Army Hospital on August 10.

He underwent surgery the same day for the removal of a clot in the brain and had also tested positive for COVID-19 in the hospital.

"With a heavy heart , this is to inform you that my father Shri PranabMukherjee has just passed away inspite of the best efforts of Doctors of RR Hospital & prayers ,duas & prarthanas from people throughout India ! I thank all of You" announced his son in Twitter

"As India's President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee made Rashtrapati Bhavan even more accessible to common citizens. He made the President's house a centre of learning, innovation, culture, science and literature" said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in twitter, while sharing his grief over the death.

'His wise counsel on key policy matters will never be forgotten by me', he added.

"He has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation. A scholar par excellence, a towering statesman, he was admired across the political spectrum and by all sections of society" added PM.

Mukherjee was born in a politically active family in 1935, when the freedom struggle was in full swing. His father KK Mukherjee was a freedom fighter, who spent several years in prison for participating in the freedom struggle. After Independence, Mukherjee senior was elected to the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, of which he was member between 1952 and 1965.

Pranab Mukherjee completed his education and earned a degree in law in Kolkata, where he began teaching at a college in 1963. He was also associated with two Bengali magazines before he became fully active in politics.