Former president Pranab Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha has rubbished rumours about her father’s death which started circulating on social media on Thursday. The 84-year-old is admitted to the hospital in Delhi Cantonment and is on ventilator support. He had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and underwent a brain surgery at the Army Research & Referral hospital for the removal of a clot in the organ.
“Rumours about my father is false. Request, especially to media, NOT to call me as I need to keep my phone free for any updates from the hospital,” Sharmistha wrote on Twitter. “The condition of former President Pranab Mukherjee remains unchanged this morning. He is deeply comatose with stable vital parameters and continues to be on ventilatory support,” the Army Research & Referral (R&R) Hospital told news agency ANI.
Pranab was admitted to the hospital and had also tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the surgery.
The condition of former President Pranab Mukherjee remains unchanged this morning. He is deeply comatose with stable vital parameters and continues to be on ventilatory support: Army Research & Referral (R&R) Hospital, Delhi https://t.co/JPhaOOoEvL
— ANI (@ANI) August 13, 2020
"Shri Pranab Mukherjee's health condition continues to remain critical. Presently, he is haemodynamically stable and on a ventilator," a statement from the hospital on Wednesday said.
The condition of the former president had worsened on Tuesday and he had not shown signs of improvement, the doctors attending on him said.
The former president's daughter and Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee prayed for her father saying may God do whatever is best for him.
"Last year August 8 was one of the happiest days for me as my dad received Bharat Ratna. Exactly a year later on August 10 he fell critically ill.
“May God do whatever is best for him and give me strength to accept both joys and sorrows of life with equanimity. I sincerely thank all for their concerns," she said on Twitter.
A powerful orator and scholar, Mukherjee was President of India from 2012 to 2017.
(PTI inputs)