London, United Kingdom:
Journalist, author and anti-nuclear activist Praful Bidwai has died at the age of 64 during a visit to the Netherlands.
Delhi-based Praful Bidwai was attending a conference in Amsterdam on Tuesday when he choked on his food and died of suspected cardiac arrest, a family friend told 'The Wire' website.
The Indian embassy in the Netherlands said its consular wing was assisting in the case.
Mr Bidwai was a fellow at Transnational Institute at Amsterdam, an organisation of international scholar-activists.
He was a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers, besides being a leading anti-nuclear activist.
He also wrote a number of books, including the '1999 New Nukes: India, Pakistan and Global Nuclear Disarmament'.
His latest book on the crisis in the Indian Left was due to be released later this year.
After working as a senior editor for the Times of India for a number of years, Mr Bidwai became a freelance commentator, writing for publications in India and abroad.
He also wrote a regular column for Frontline and Hindustan Times for several years.
Born in Nagpur, Mr Bidwai had been a Professorial Fellow at the Centre for Social Development, New Delhi, and also a Senior Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.
He had also served as a member of the Indian Council for Social Science Research, the Central Advisory Board on Education, and the National Book Trust.