Former President Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit Mukherjee on Thursday, 13 August, refuted "speculations and fake news" around his father's health, saying he is still alive and haemodynamically stable.
"Speculations & fake news being circulated by reputed Journalists on social media clearly reflects that Media in India has become a factory of Fake News [sic]," he wrote in a tweet.
The former president's daughter, Sharmistha Mukherjee, too, took to Twitter to say that the rumours about her father were false. "Request, esp’ly to media, NOT to call me as I need to keep my phone free for any updates from the hospital," she said.
In a statement on Thursday, the Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi said that the condition of Pranab Mukherjee remained unchanged. "He is deeply comatose with stable vital parameters and continues to be on ventilatory support," the hospital said.
The clarifications from the hospital, as well as Pranab Mukherjee's son and daughter, came as many on social media posted about the passing away of the former president earlier on Thursday.
Mukherjee, who had tested positive for COVID-19, had undergone an emergency life-saving surgery for a brain clot on 10 August. Since then, his condition has remained critical.
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