Pune: Chairman and managing director of Manikchand group of companies and Gutka baron Rasiklal Dhariwal passed away in Pune after a long illness on Tuesday. He was 79.
For last 50 days, he was being treated at a private hospital after he was diagnosed with pneumonia. He breathed last around 8.15 pm on Tuesday night.
According to Ruby Hall Clinic, Dhariwal was admitted to the hospital on September 4 and he was suffering from cancer. “His cancer spread all over his body and today he died due to multi-organ failure,” said Dr Sanjay Pathare, Medical Director, Ruby Hall Clinic.
He is survived by wife Shobha, a son and four daughters.
Born in Shirur Tehsil of Pune district, Dhariwal inherited his father’s bidi factory which he expanded into one of the biggest tobacco industry in the country. He diversified the tobacco business and ventured into gutka and soon Manikchand, which was popularly known as RMD became synonymous with gutka.
Dhariwal also ventured into packaged drinking water, education institutes and health care centers.
