Overview
- The celebrated Hindi writer died on December 23 at AIIMS Raipur while under treatment, with reported times of death ranging between 4.48 pm and 4.58 pm from family and hospital accounts.
- He was admitted on December 2 after breathing difficulties, shifted to intensive care in mid‑December, and placed on ventilatory support as his condition worsened.
- The Chhattisgarh government ordered full state honours for his last rites, which were performed on December 24 at Marwari Muktidham in Raipur.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai offered condolences, with Modi having inquired about his health during a November 1 visit to the state.
- Shukla recently received the 59th Jnanpith Award, presented at his residence on November 21, and his noted honours include the Sahitya Akademi (1999) and the 2023 PEN/Nabokov Award, with works such as Naukar Ki Kameez and Deewar Mein Ek Khidki Rehti Thi.