Rajiv Tyagi (September 29, 1967 – August 12, 2020) was a leader and spokesperson for

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

, known for being a prominent figure in news debates. He died on 12 August 2020 in

Ghaziabad Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziabad Muni ...

, shortly after a television appearance; his cause of death was reported variously as either a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

Education and career

Tyagi had a post-graduate degree in Business administration. A prominent Youth Congress Party leader, he was appointed the official spokesperson of Congress while serving as the General Secretary at

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) is the Pradesh Congress Committee (state wing) of the Indian National Congress (INC) serving in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Congress Working Committee Appointed Priyanka Gandhi as General Secretary of UP ( ...

Death

Tyagi was a participant in a TV debate on

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

news channel

Aaj Tak ''Aaj Tak'' () is an Indian Hindi-language news channel owned by TV Today Network, part of the New Delhi-based media conglomerate Living Media group (India Today Group) Aaj Tak HD On 14 December 2018, Aaj Tak launched India's first Hindi h ...

on the issue of

2020 Bangalore riots On the night of 11 August and the early hours of 12 August 2020, violent clashes took place around the residence of a legislator and the police stations of KG Halli and DJ Halli of the Indian city of Bangalore, Karnataka. Provoked by a Faceboo ...

, when he likely suffered a heart attack. He collapsed just after the debate, following which he was brought to Yashoda Hospital, Ghaziabad, where doctors were unable to revive him. According to his wife, his last words were 'They killed me,' referring to the TV debate format and

Sambit Patra Sambit Patra (born 13 December 1974) is an Indian politician and has served as the National spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014 and currently serving as a chairman in tourism department. Patra had his first job at Hindu Rao Ho ...

References

1960s births 2020 deaths People from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh 21st-century Indian politicians Indian National Congress politicians from Uttar Pradesh {{UttarPradesh-INC-politician-stub