AMN / New Delhi
Senior congress leader, former union minister and personal secretary to the former prime minister Indira Gandhi R K Dawan passed away today following illness.
He was also a witness in the assassination case of the former PM.
Smt. Indira Gandhi with close aide Shri R K Dhawan. Shri Dhawan breathed his last today. pic.twitter.com/ESnCRwgnqv
— Indira Gandhi (@Indira___Gandhi) August 6, 2018
Dhawan was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday for age-related ailments.
Dhawan started out as Gandhi’s personal assistant and was with her from 1962, until the day she was assassinated in 1984. The senior Congress leader was also a part of the former PM’s innermost circle during the Emergency years (1975-77). Along with Ambika Soni and Kamal Nath, Dhawan was among the key characters of that period.
Expressing its condolences to the family of the senior leader, the Congress tweeted, “We’re saddened to hear about the passing away of RK Dhawan, a valued member of the Congress party. Our thought and prayers are with his family tonight.”
Deeply shocked at passing away of Shri RK Dhawan. Though he was ailing I had never expected that the end will come so soon. A close associate and colleague in Party and Government, he will forever be fondly remembered.
— Pranab Mukherjee Legacy Foundation- PMLF (@CitiznMukherjee) August 6, 2018
With the sad demise of R.K. Dhawan an era has really ended. I remember meeting him way back in 1977 for first time when I was a 12 years old. My father Late Dr. VN Tewari was writing a book on Mrs Gandhi ‘12 Willingdon Crescent’ where Mrs Gandhi stayed during a difficult period. pic.twitter.com/GBYtAYZO1d
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) August 6, 2018