NEW DELHI: India’s environment minister Anil Madhav Dave died Thursday at the age of 60 in New Delhi, shocking colleagues who remembered him as a nature lover committed to conservation.

Dave complained of discomfort in the morning and was rushed from his home to the state-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences where he passed away.

The Bharatiya Janata Party to which he belonged confirmed Dave’s passing in a brief statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his shock at his colleague’s sudden death, describing it as a “personal loss”.

“I was with Anil Madhav Dave ji till late last evening, discussing key policy issues,” Modi tweeted.

Dave, who was unmarried, had been a member of parliament’s upper house since 2009.—AFP