Indian photojournalist killed in Afghanistan honoured with Pulitzer

Danish Siddiqui died while reporting clashes between Afghan troops and the Taliban

This photo by Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui, provided by Columbia University, shows a 'Naga Sadhu,' or Hindu holy man, placing a mask across his face before entering the Ganges river during the traditional Shahi Snan, at the Kumbh Mela festival in Haridwar, India, April 12, 2021. Reuters photographers Adnan Abidi, Sanna Irshad Mattoo, Amit Dave and the late Danish Siddiqui of Reuters were awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Price for Feature Photography, Monday, May 9, 2022, for images of COVID's toll in India that balanced intimacy and devastation, while offering viewers a heightened sense of place. (Danish Siddiqui / Reuters via AP)

Siddiqui captures the light as it shines on a mass cremation for Covid-19 victims in New Delhi, India, on April 22, 2021. Reuters

Siddiqui takes a picture of Manoj Kumar as his mother Vidhya Devi receives oxygen in the parking lot of a Sikh temple during the Covid-19 pandemic in Ghaziabad, India, on April 24, 2021. Reuters

Siddiqui photographs Pranav Mishra, 19, as he kneels towards the body of his mother Mamta Mishra, 45, who died from coronavirus, in New Delhi, India. Reuters

Siddiqui photographs urns containing ashes awaiting immersion at a crematorium in New Delhi on May 6, 2021. Reuters

Siddiqui captures the horrors of Covid-19. Here, a female patient arrives at the Holy Family Hospital in New Delhi on April 29, 2021. Reuters

Siddiqui captures the pain of a man outside the coronavirus ward at the Guru Teg Bahadur hospital, New Delhi, on April 23, 2021. Reuters

Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who was killed in July covering the Afghan war for Reuters news agency, has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize in the feature photography category for his reportage of Covid-19 in India.

Siddiqui, who worked with Reuters bureau in India and was on an assignment in Afghanistan, is among four Indians honoured with the prestigious award.

His colleagues, Adnan Abidi Sanna, Irshad Mattoo and Amit Dave have also been honoured with the coveted prize.

The Pulitzer committee, that awards achievers in newspaper, online and magazine journalism, literature and musical composition, announced the list of this year's winners on Monday.

They said they were moved by the “balanced intimacy” of the work of the photojournalists while covering the pandemic.

Mr Siddiqui was 38 when he was killed while covering clashes between Afghan troops and the Taliban in Spin Boldak district in Kandahar city, near the Pakistan border in July.

He was the chief photographer for the agency in the Indian bureau and had extensively covered global issues and crises, including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Hong Kong protests and Nepal earthquakes.

He was known for his investigative and impactful photography.

This is Mr Siddiqui’s second Pulitzer prize. He won the prestigious prize for feature photography in 2018 as part of the Reuters team for their coverage of the Rohingya crisis.

In March, his bereaved parents filed a complaint against the Taliban with the International Criminal Court and demanded a probe, saying their son died in a targeted killing .