Bangarappa cremated with full state honours

The body of former Karnataka chief minister S Bangarappa was today consigned to flames here in his home district with full state honours.

A pall of gloom descended as his supporters turned up in large numbers to pay their last respects to Bangarappa, who ruled the state from 1990-92 and was an MP in his four-decade- long political career that took him on a journey through Congress, BJP, Samajwadi Party and finally JDS besides two parties floated by him.

The body of Bangarappa, a backward class leader who died in Bangalore yesterday after a brief illness, was brought here from Kubatur, his birthplace, before it was taken to a land owned by him where it was cremated.

Bangarappa's younger son Madhu Bangarappa performed the last rites. Earlier, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, state BJP president K S Eshwarappa, former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and Education Minister Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri laid wreaths on his body.

Karnataka Congress chief G Parameshwara, Opposition Leader in Assembly Siddaramaiah, state JDS president H D Kumaraswamy and former energy minister H D Revanna also paid homage.