Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was cremated with state honours at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal in New Delhi on Friday.
The 93-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party leader died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Thursday evening after a prolonged illness. The last rites were performed by his daughter Namita Bhattacharya.
Thousands of people joined the funeral procession to Smriti Sthal and walked along the more than seven-km long route. Slogans such as “Atal Bihari Amar Rahe” were shouted during the procession.
BJP President Amit Shah, chief ministers such as Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vijay Rupani, Devendra Fadnavis and Adityanath joined the procession to the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, among many others, were seen offering floral tribute to Vajpayee at Smriti Sthal.
Among the leaders present at the site for the last rites ceremony were Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, PM Narendra Modi, Former PM Manmohan Singh, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President Amit Shah, senior BJP leader LK Advani, Congress President Rahul Gandhi at Smriti Sthal in Delhi for funeral of former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee pic.twitter.com/o44tp47XxD
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2018
Last salute was accorded to the former prime minister. The tricolour which was used to drape his mortal remains was given to his granddaughter.
Delhi: Tricolour wrapped around mortal remains of #AtalBihariVajpayee handed over to his granddaughter Niharika. pic.twitter.com/Ela6rD3PWG
— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2018
Last salute accorded to former PM
Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Smriti Sthal. #AtaljiAmarRahen pic.twitter.com/Ysk8SSpt9d— BJP (@BJP4India) August 17, 2018
India pays tributes to our beloved Atal Ji. pic.twitter.com/tEDxG77KtO
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 17, 2018
The police have installed CCTV cameras along the route that the funeral procession took place. The local police have been on duty at every intersection. Gunmen and snipers were also deployed.
More than 20 companies of the Delhi Armed Police and hundreds of paramilitary personnel guarded the cremation ground.
The traffic police have closed arterial roads such as Krishna Menon Marg, Sunehri Bagh Road, Tughlak Road, Akbar Road, Tees January Marg, Man Singh Road, Bhagwan Dass Road, Shahjahan Road and Sikandara Road from 8 am. Some of the other areas closed are DDU Marg, Indraprastha Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg – from Tilak Bridge to Delhi Gate – and Jawaharlal Nehru Marg from Rajghat to Delhi Gate.┬аScroll
