Dharam Singh cremated with full state honours at his birthplace

Former chief minister N Dharam Singh was cremated in accordance with the Rajput traditions and full state honours on his farmland at Nelogi village in Jewargi taluk on Friday evening.

Hundreds of people including Singh’s supporters, women and the elderly had descended at Nelogi, the former chief minister’s birthplace, to bid final adieu to their beloved leader and, were in tears.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah arrived by a special flight from Bengaluru to Bidar and from Bidar to Nelogi by a helicopter. He paid homage to the mortal remains of  Singh that were brought in a special hearse van from Kalaburagi to Nelogi via Jewargi at around 4 pm.

Singh’s eldest son Vijay Singh, an MLC, lit the pyre at around 5.30 pm. Priests Narasimha Devashastri from Humnabad in Bidar district and Acharya Sushravya from Hyderabad performed various vedic rituals. People raised slogans such as ‘Dharam Singh Saab Amar Rahe’ and ‘Dharam Singh Saab Zinda Rahe’ on the occasion.

Singh’s younger son and Jewargi MLA Dr Ajay Singh turned emotional and cried inconsolably. He thanked the people for the support they gave to his father who enjoyed 50 years of political life and even became the chief minister of the state. He apologised to the people for not making arrangements for public viewing of the body at Nelogi as demanded by them.

A host of politicians including Singh’s close friend and Gulbarga MP Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal, former chief minister M Veerappa Moily, KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao, ministers Eshwar Khandre, Priyank Kharge, Umashree and H Anjaneya took part in the funeral.

The body was brought to Bidar by a special flight from Bengaluru and to Kalaburagi by road on Thursday night. It was kept at N V Grounds in Kalaburagi city till 12 noon on Friday for public viewing where a host of dignitaries paid their tributes.

Later, the body was shifted to Jewargi in a special hearse van. In Jewargi, the body was kept for public viewing at a stadium where AICC general secretary  Digvijaya Singh, former Union minister Oscar Fernandes and Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy among others paid homage to the departed leader.

Singh (80) died of a massive heart attack in Bengaluru on Thursday morning.