News anchor learns about husband’s death while reading live bulletin, maintains composure

An Indian news anchor was reporting a fatal road crash incident on live TV when she later learned that her husband was one of the victims. She managed to keep her composure and continued the report on IBC 24 for at least 10 minutes.

Supreet Kaur broke down in tears as soon as the broadcast was over and then contacted her relatives. The 28-year-old realised that her husband, Harsad Kawade, was among the deceased from the details of the news story.

Ravikant Mittal, IBC24's editor-in-chief, noticed that Kaur’s voice trembled for a moment, but collected herself and continued reading the news until the bulletin was over. "She was doing her job, and she kept on doing it with composure and without showing her emotions on air," Mittal said.

A senior editor said she felt her husband's vehicle was involved in the accident. Photos of the vehicle involved, as well as blurred photos of victims appeared on the screen.

According to a police officer, the Renault Duster vehicle was carrying five people when an unidentified vehicle hit it from behind, causing a terrible damage. Three people died while two were seriously injured. Kawade was one of the casualties.

“The production team had also just found out, but could not tell her as she was live on television,’’ a senior editor, who did not wish to be named, explained. The editor said IBC 24 was proud of the way Kaur handled the situation because it spoke volumes about her sense of duty and professionalism, Indian Express reports. A staffer quoted by Hindustan Times said they have learned about the death of Kaur’s husband while she was reading the news, but no one told her because they didn’t have the courage to do so.

Kaur has been working as a news reporter with IBC-24, one of Chhattisgarh’s most-viewed channels, for the past nine years. She and Kawade got married one year ago and the couple were residents of Raipur.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Dr Raman Singh took to Twitter to offer his condolences and applaud Kaur for her act of bravery. “Salute Supreet’s strength in dealing with her husband’s demise with extraordinary bravery & professionalism. May departed soul rest in peace,” the minister wrote. Several journalists and celebrities also praised Kaur for being an “inspiration” and pride of the nation.

IBC24 is a 24-hour private Hindi news channel that serves the Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The network’s main office and studio is located in Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh.