The 84-year old was admitted to the facility on 10 August and operated on for a blood clot in the brain.

“There has been a decline in the medical condition of Hon’ble Pranab Mukherjee as he has developed features of lung infection. He continues to be on ventilatory support and is currently being managed by a team of specialists,” the bulletin said.

Mukherjee had last week also tested positive for covid-19, a condition that he had made public on Twitter.

A veteran politician, Mukherjee served as president between 2012 and 2017. Prior to that, he served in government under three different prime ministers and managed diverse portfolios — finance, external affairs and defence — besides shouldering other responsibilities like heading multiple Group of Ministers arrangements that examined critical issues and prescribed policy options.