Celebrated Urdu poet and lyricist Rahat Indori passed away today at a hospital in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He was 70 years old.

He had earlier tested positive for COVID-19. After he was admitted to the hospital for treatment, he reportedly suffered from two heart attacks.
A Hindustan Times report quoted Dr. Vinod Bhandari of Sri Aurobindo Hospital as saying, "He suffered two heart attacks today and could not be saved. He was admitted to hospital on Sunday, after testing positive for Covid-19. He had 60% pneumonia."

Indori, one of the brightest stars in the domain of Mushaira, was known for giving expression to his angst in a fearless manner. In the words of noted lyricist Javed Akhtar, Indori belonged to the "fast disappearing" group of poets which has the courage to call a spade a spade. Indori had, during the recent anti-CAA protests, almost acquired a cult status among the youth.

The powerful lines from one of his Ghazals -"Sabhi ka khoon hai shamil yahan ki mitti mein; Kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thodi hai" – became a rallying cry in the protests that had rocked several parts of the country.
Indori had also written the lyrics of several popular Bollywood songs.