Nirupam Sen, India's former Permanent Representative to the UN

New Delhi, July 2 : Nirupam Sen, India's former Permanent Representative to the UN, passed away here on Sunday. He was 70.

Succeeding Vijay K. Nambiar, Sen served as India's Permanent Representative from September 2004 to March 2009.

After retirement, Sen was appointed Special Senior Advisor to the UN General Assembly President. He also served as India's Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Bulgaria and Norway.

"Saddened at the passing of illustrious diplomat Ambassador Nirupam Sen. My condolences to his friends and family," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted.

Hardeep Puri, who succeeded Sen as India's Permanent Representative to the UN, told IANS that he knew his senior in Delhi University.

Puri said that after he got news of Sen's demise from the International Association of Permanent Representatives (IAPR) on WhatsApp, there was a spontaneous outpouring of grief on that social media.

"Nirupam was a brilliant mind, erudite and fearless," he said.