Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s father Anand Singh Bisht was cremated on Tuesday, 21 April, on the banks of the Ganga at Phoolchatti in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat laid a wreath on the body. “The loss of a social worker like Bisht will be felt acutely by the people of the state and his contribution to the society will be remembered forever,” he said
Adityanath's father died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on Monday, 20 April, officials said.
The BJP leader said he will not attend the funeral as he needed to be in the state for the fight against COVID-19.Bisht, 89, was admitted to the AIIMS after his health deteriorated. His condition was critical, sources at the hospital said.
He was undergoing treatment at the gastroenterology department, they said. Bisht's last rites will take place in Haridwar in Uttarakhand on 21 April, Media Advisor to the chief minister Mrityunjay Kumar said.
In a statement, the chief minister said, “I had the ardent wish to get a glimpse of him at the final moment. However, following a sense of duty towards the state’s 23 crore people during the COVID-19 pandemic, I could not do so.”
"For the success of the lockdown and the strategy to defeat the novel coronavirus pandemic, I will be unable to attend the last rites on April 21," Adityanath said.
"I am deeply saddened by the demise of my respected father. He instilled in me the values of honesty, hardwork and selfless service for public welfare in childhood itself," he said.
Even as news of his father’s demise reached Adityanath continued with a meeting with officials, whom he directed to ensure that the students of Uttar Pradesh who have returned from coaching hub Kota are quarantined at their homes.
"Honourable CM's father left for his heavenly abode at 10.44 am. Our deepest condolences," Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said in a statement.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)