Veteran BBC journalist Mark Tully, who covered and survived the Babri Mosque demolition, passed away on Sunday at 90. He is regarded as the “voice of India” for generations of listeners and viewers.
Born in India in 1935 during British colonial rule, Tully spent most of his life reporting from the country he considered home, becoming one of the most recognisable foreign correspondents in South Asia.
BBC News interim chief Jonathan Munro said Tully opened India to global audiences, capturing its vibrancy, diversity and complexity with rare depth. Over decades, Tully reported on defining moments in the region, helping international audiences understand events that reshaped South Asian history.
His coverage included the 1971 India-Pakistan war that led to the creation of Bangladesh, the demolition of the Babri mosque in Uttar Pradesh, the conflict in India-administered Kashmir and the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Through these stories, he focused not only on politics but also on their human consequences.
Reporting under danger and lasting influence
During the 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya, Tully narrowly escaped assault when a Hindu mob attacked journalists covering the event. As equipment was destroyed and the crowd chanted his name, he took shelter inside a small temple until colleagues escorted him to safety. The episode underscored the risks he faced while reporting on some of India’s most volatile moments.
Tully studied theology at Cambridge University before briefly joining a seminary. However, he returned to India in 1965 and joined the BBC in New Delhi, initially as an office administrator. After working with the BBC’s Hindi and World Service in London, he became the corporation’s New Delhi correspondent in 1971.
He later served as BBC bureau chief for South Asia for two decades, overseeing coverage across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Tully resigned in 1994 after publicly criticising BBC management reforms. In 2002, Britain knighted him for services to journalism and broadcasting.
