Senior journalist and editor-in-chief of News X channel Jehangir Pocha passed away early Saturday morning following a cardiac arrest. He had complained of chest pain at his Gurgaon residence and was rushed to a hospital, where he breathed his last at 4.30am. His last rites were performed on Saturday evening at Nigambodh Ghat.
Born in Bombay, Pocha completed his BA in Economics and MBA in Mumbai and then went on to pursue another Masters, in Public Administration, from Harvard University. He was the China editor for Boston Globe, and also served as editor of Business World. He then moved on to TV and became the founding editor of News X channel. He was also a senior editorial member of ITV Group, which owns the channel.
His sudden death shocked friends and contemporaries alike, with many posting their disbelief on Twitter. "Jehangir Pocha will be remembered as a leading voice on TV, print & social media. His frank & insightful views on issues will be missed," tweeted PM Narendra Modi. "terrible randomness of life :((( RIP," wrote journalist Barkha Dutt. "Deeply shocked to hear about passing away of colleague @JehangirPocha. Tragic untimely loss. RIP," tweeted journalist Sagarika Ghose.
Apart from journalism, Pocha was also well known in the field of information technology, where he worked for more than a decade. He held key managerial positions in start-ups and Fortune 500 companies alike in the US and Singapore.
In 2010, Pocha was one of the many to find a mention in the Niira Radia tapes controversy. Speaking to dna, veteran journalist Vinod Mehta remembered Pocha as a good journalist who faced troubled times after coming to India. "He wrote for Outlook while he was in China, and he was a good correspondent who wrote exceptional copies. But when he returned to India to head Business World and then launch News X, he had a bit of a rough time with the Radia tapes controversy," said Mehta.
The Broadcast Editors' Association (BEA) termed his passing as a "big loss". "BEA condoles the sad demise of senior journalist and editor-in-chief of News X Jehangir Pocha. Jehangir was a dear colleague of ours and a guiding force in BEA's activities," said a statement released by president Shazi Zaman and general secretary NK Singh.
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