Marking the end of an era, former Prime Minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee breathed his last at 5:05 pm on Thursday, 16 August in New Delhi’s AIIMS. He was 93.
His mortal remains – wrapped in the tricolour – were taken to the BJP headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg from his residence at 6A, Krishna Menon Marg, on Friday, 17 August.
State Funeral to be Accorded to Vajpayee
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will receive the former prime minister’s mortal remains at the BJP headquarters.
Vajpayee will embark on his last journey, around 1 pm, from the party headquarters to Smriti Sthal, in the heart of Delhi, where his state funeral will be held at 4 pm.
According to reports, the Urban Development Ministry has allotted approximately 1.5 acres of land for his memorial.
Nation Mourns Vajpayee’s Demise
As a tribute to the veteran politician, the Home Ministry announced that the national flag would be flown at half mast for seven days across India.
The national flag would also fly half mast on the day of the funeral in all Indian missions abroad.
Several state governments including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand have declared public holiday on 17 August to honour Vajpayee.
Preparations for the funeral are already underway. Radio communication teams have been deployed at Vijay Ghat, and the security has been beefed up, according to News18.
The BJP has also cancelled its National Executive meeting scheduled to be held on 18-19 August.
Follow our coverage on Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s demise here.
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