Actor-comic Mallika Dua said on Monday
that her father, veteran journalist Vinod Dua, is in the ICU and his condition
is “beyond critical.” 

Vinod
Dua, 67, was hospitalised with COVID earlier this year and he also lost his
wife, radiologist Padmavati Dua, to the deadly virus in June. 

“My
Papaji is beyond critical in the ICU. His health had been deteriorating rapidly
since April. He also is unable to come to terms with losing the light of his
life. He has lived an extraordinary life and given us the same. He deserves no
pain. He is immensely loved and revered and I request you all to pray that he
experiences as little pain as possible,” Mallika Dua wrote on
Instagram. 

The
journalist, who is a pioneer in broadcast Hindi journalism with stints in
Doordarshan and NDTV, was hospitalised along with his wife when the second wave
of COVID was at its peak. He has been in and out of hospitals since then.

Meanwhile,
hours after Mallika issued a statement on her father’s health, many people
started circulating news about his death. Following this, Mallika issued
another statement saying that her father was still in the ICU and requested
people to avoid spreading rumours.

“Request
everyone to not spread rumours about my father’s demise. He is in the ICU,
fighting still. Whatever be the outcome, let him have his dignity. Don’t
believe/ spread misinformation, please. I will issue all official news and
updates on him,” she wrote.