Kolkata, Oct 21 (IANS): Subha Dutta, the editor of leading Bengali daily 'Bartamaan', died at a private hospital here on Monday following prolonged illness. Dutta, 67, is survived her daughter and son-in-law.

Dutta breathed her last at 10.42 a.m., Abhijit Kumar Sinha, Senior General Manager, Bartamaan Private Limited, said in a release.

Born in Kolkata, Dutta started off as the teacher of a montessori school.

She began her association with Bartamaan under the tutelage of its founder-editor Barun Sengupta, her elder brother. She was then also the editor of the company's monthly Bengali magazine, 'Sukhi Grihakon'.

Dutta took over as the daily's editor after Sengupta's death on June 19, 2008.

"She managed to sustain the daily to the heights where Sengupta had taken it," the release said.

She was also the chief editor of all the publications of the Bartamaan group.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who rushed to the hospital on receiving the news of Dutta's death, described the demise as her personal loss in a condolence message.