Former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee undergoes brain surgery, on ventilator support

Former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee was put on ventilator support today after undergoing brain surgery at the Army Research and Referral hospital in New Delhi. He had been admitted there this morning after testing positive for Covid-19.

Mukherjee, 84, tweeted this afternoon that he had tested positive while undergoing a routine check-up.

Officials said Mukherjee also underwent "a brain surgery for removal of clot." Prior to the surgery, he tested positive for Covid-19.

"On a visit to the hospital for a separate procedure, I have tested positive for COVID-19 today. I request the people who came in contact with me in the last week, to please self-isolate and get tested for COVID-19," Mukherjee tweeted this afternoon.

Officials said the former president has been under close monitoring in the hospital.

President Ram Nath Kovind spoke to Mukherjee's daughter and Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee and asked about her father's health.

Mukherjee had undergone an angioplasty in 2014, after which he decided not to contest the 2017 presidential elections citing "advanced age and failing health."

Mukherjee, who was President between 2012 and 2017, had been scaled-back his public interactions at his official residence in central Delhi's Rajaji Marg after the Covid-19 pandemic swept across Indian states.