NEW DELHI, Sept 1: The former President and Bharat Ratna awardee Pranab Mukherjee was cremated with full state honours at the Lodhi Road crematorium in the national capital on Tuesday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, his body was kept at his residence here where a large number of leaders, including President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, paid their last respects to the 13th president.
Mukherjee passed away on Monday at the age of 84. In mid-August, he had undergone a brain surgery at the Army Research and Referral hospital in New Delhi. Hours before his death, hospital authorities said his condition had deteriorated and he was in a state of septic shock due to a lung infection. Mukherjee’s death was announced by his son Abhijit Mukherjee.
Mukherjee, in his decades-long political career, served as a Member of Parliament seven times, serving in the cabinet of several prime ministers. In 2012, Mukherjee was elected President of India.
“Sad to hear that former President Shri Pranab Mukherjee is no more. His demise is passing of an era. A colossus in public life, he served Mother India with the spirit of a sage. The nation mourns losing one of its worthiest sons. Condolences to his family, friends & all citizens. Endowed with perspicacity and wisdom, Bharat Ratna Shri Mukherjee combined tradition and modernity. In his 5 decades long illustrious public life, he remained rooted to the ground irrespective of the exalted offices he held. He endeared himself to people across the political spectrum,” the incumbent president said in a message.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “India grieves the passing away of Bharat Ratna Pranab Mukherjee. He has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation. A scholar par excellence, a towering statesman, he was admired across the political spectrum & by all sections of society.”
(Manas Dasgupta)