NEW DELHI: Barkha Dutt, senior Indian journalist and star anchor with NDTV channel since 1995, has resigned, the Indian Express said.

Ms Dutt’s departure can be seen as part of the churning in the Indian media scene, which has witnessed popular anchors leave or swap channels. Recently, controversial Arnab Goswami, with his pronounced right-wing slant, left Times Now. Earlier, Rajdeep Sardesai swapped channels after owners changed.

Ms Dutt rose to prominence in journalism with her coverage of the Kargil war in 1999. Liked and shunned in Pakistan and in India, she later became the face of NDTV’s programme, We The People.

She has won many national and international awards. After a peculiarly Indian trend whereby the government felicitates journalists, she was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour.

However, her stint with NDTV was also marred by controversy as she figured in the sensational Radiaa tapes, which revealed a nexus between the media and powerful corporate lobbies to influence the choice of portfolios for ministers.

“Barkha has requested that she would like to explore some new opportunities, pursue other interests and work on her own ventures,” NDTV said.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2017