Last Rites Of Tallest Statesman Performed With Full State Honours At Smriti Sthal

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was cremated with full state honours at Smriti Sthal on the banks of Yamuna in Delhi on Friday evening. Battling prolonged illness at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), he passed away on Thursday at the age of 93.

His adopted daughter, Namita Bhattacharya lit the funeral pyre.

1. Poet and politician Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s body was shifted from his residence on Krishna Menon Marg to the BJP headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Margon Friday morning.
2. Political leaders, cutting across party lines, paid tribute to the leader throughout the day.
3. Thousands of people gathered at the BJP headquarters to pay tribute to the departed soul.
4. His body was then brought to Smriti Sthal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and other Ministers walked beside the coffin.
5. The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk also attended the funeral. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai were also present to pay their last respects.

6. President Ram Nath Kovind, LK Advani, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were among the thousands of people who attended the funeral at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal on the banks of Yamuna.
7. The Tricolour wrapped around the mortal remains of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was handed over to his granddaughter Niharika.