Television journalist Anjan Bandyopadhyay dies after battle with COVID-19
Eminent journalist and popular television anchor Anjan Bandyopadhyay, who tested positive for COVID-19 around a month ago, died at a private hospital in Kolkata on Sunday night, a health department official said. He was 56. "Bandyopadhyay, the editor of Bengali news channel Zee 24 Ghanta, breathed his last at around 9:25 pm," the official said.
Bandyopadhyay had tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-April
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the death of the journalist, who is the brother of the state Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay. According to family sources, the journalist had tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-April following which he was hospitalized. "He had returned home after recovering a bit but was again taken to the hospital after his condition deteriorated," an official of the hospital said.
Bandyopadhyay had worked with eminent media houses
"He was put on a ventilator and then on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation support, but his condition continued to deteriorate," the official said. Bandyopadhyay was with ETV Bangla, Zee, and then with Anandabazar Patrika's digital unit before moving to TV9 Bangla as the channel's first Editor. He returned to Zee 24 Ghanta as its editor just before this year's assembly elections in West Bengal.
CM condoled the demise of the senior journalist
"Saddened at the passing away of Anjan Bandyopadhyay, one of the best-known television anchors in Bengal. He was a bright, young, and dynamic journalist," the Chief Minister said in a statement.
A 14-day lockdown has been imposed in the state
"I have no words to express my condolences to his family and his colleagues in the fraternity. His Ma, wife Aditi, daughter Titli, his elder brother Alapan Bandyopadhyay, who is the Chief Secretary of the State," she said. The Press Club, Kolkata, also condoled his death. Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has imposed a 14-day lockdown in the state due to the COVID-19 surge.
WB registered 147 deaths on Sunday, the highest so far
"West Bengal on Sunday registered 147 fatalities due to COVID-19, the highest so far on a single day, pushing the overall death toll to 13,284," a health department bulletin said. The state reported 19,117 fresh cases of infection, which took the overall tally to 11,33,430. "The number of active cases at present is 1,31,805," the bulletin said.
