Veteran journalist India’s chronicler Mark Tully passes away in Delhi at 90

PTI, January 25, 2026, New Delhi :  Veteran journalist Mark Tully, a chronicler of India and an acclaimed author, passed away at a private hospital here on Sunday after suffering multi-organ failure, hospital authorities said. He was 90.

The award-winning journalist was ailing for some time and had been admitted to the Max Hospital at Saket in south Delhi on January 21, under the head of the nephrology department, a hospital source told PTI.

In a statement, the hospital said, “Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, confirms with deep sadness the passing of Mr William Mark Tully on January 25, 2026, at 2.35 pm. The cause of death was multi-organ failure following a stroke.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his family, loved ones, and all those affected by his passing.”

Satish Jacob, veteran journalist and a close friend of Tully, told PTI, “Mark passed away at Max Hospital Saket this afternoon.”

Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on October 24, 1935, Tully was the chief of bureau for the BBC, New Delhi, for 22 years.

An acclaimed author, Tully was the presenter of the BBC Radio 4 programme Something Understood.

He was also part of several documentaries on subjects ranging from India and the British Raj to the Indian Railways.

Tully was knighted in 2002 and received the Padma Bhushan from the government of India in 2005.

He wrote several books on India, including No Full Stops in India, India in Slow Motion, and The Heart of India.

Tully’s work with the BBC was underlined by his coverage of some historic episodes in post-Independence Indian history.

The major events included the Bangladesh war of 1971, the Emergency of 1975–77, the execution of former Pakistan president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979, Operation Blue Star, the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, and the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992.

Operation Blue Star and the Punjab problem were the subjects of Tully’s first book, Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi’s Last Battle (1985), co-written with Satish Jacob.