NEW DELHI — Renowned Urdu poet Rahat Indori died at a hospital in Indore in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. He had tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday.

A doctor at Sri Aurobindo Hospital said Indori suffered two heart attacks on Monday. "He was admitted to the hospital on Sunday after testing positive for COVID-19. He had 60% pneumonia," said Dr. Vinod Bhandari.

Indori, 70, was quite active on social media and had written about his infection on his Twitter handle earlier in the day.

“After showing initial COVID-19 symptoms, I was tested for the virus on Monday and I am declared positive for the virus today and have been admitted to Aurobindo Hospital,” Indori had written.

A well-known Urdu poet, Indori had asked his followers and fans to wish him a speedy recovery, urging them to not call his family to enquire about his well-being and promising to update them via Twitter and Facebook.

Indori was known to express his views on socio-political scenarios in the country. — Agencies