Rupani cremated with full state honours at Rajkot; politicians, citizens pay tribute to him

Ahmedabad/Rajkot: Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who died in the Air India plane crash, was cremated with full state honours at Rajkot on Monday night with politicians led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah paying him floral tributes ahead of the last rites.

Thousands of people gathered along the entire route of the funeral procession to give a poignant send-off to the late BJP leader at his hometown, where his mortal remains were flown from Ahmedabad four days after the tragedy.

The funeral was held at a crematorium with full state honours and Rupani was accorded a 21-gun salute as a mark of respect to the departed leader.

Amid outpouring of emotions and slogan shouting, people stood on both sides of the road as Rupani's mortal remains were brought from the airport to his residence in Rajkot, and from there to the crematorium, a journey stretching to several kilometres in a flower-bedecked vehicle.

The Gujarat government had announced a one-day state mourning on Monday in memory of the former CM.

Shah, Union Jal Shakti Minister and Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil, Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel were among senior national and state Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and dignitaries who offered their floral tributes to Rupani at his residence.

Among other leaders, BJP general secretary B L Santhosh, state general secretary (Gujarat) Ratnakar, MPs, MLAs, various political, social and religious leaders, were present to pay him their last respects.

Before the former CM's mortal remains reached his residence, people queued up on both sides of the road to pay him their last respects. The procession started from Greenland Crossroads on the outskirts of Rajkot and reached the residence of the late BJP leader.

Rupani's supporters showered flower petals and raised the slogan, "Vijaybhai tum amar ho (Vijaybhai is immortal)," as the procession winded its way to his home before being taken to the crematorium for last rites.

Earlier in the day, Rupani's mortal remains were handed over to his family members in Ahmedabad with guard of honour in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The body was brought to Rajkot on a special plane.

As Rupani's body was charred beyond recognition, his mortal remains were identified on Sunday after matching the DNA samples with that of his relatives. His wife Anjali and other family members were present at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital when the mortal remains were handed over to them.

The former CM was among the 242 passengers and crew members on board the London-bound Air India flight AI-171 that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. All but one on board the plane died along with 29 on the ground when the aircraft smashed into a medical complex.

Rupani (68) was known for his composed demeanour and firm administrative style. The veteran politician, who was Chief Minister from August 2016 to September 2021, steered Gujarat through a critical post-coronavirus recovery phase.

Rupani was a student leader who led many agitations. During his college years, he worked as an activist of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS.

In 1975, he faced imprisonment and was lodged for one year in Bhavnagar jail for protesting against the imposition of the Emergency. Rupani entered electoral politics in 1987 when he was elected as a corporator in the Rajkot Municipal Corporation and later became the city's mayor.

He was a member of the Rajya Sabha between 2006 and 2012.

His tenure as Gujarat CM saw the launch of the state Industrial Policy 2020 and initiatives for tribal upliftment. The BJP leader stepped down from the Chief Minister's post in September 2021, making way for current incumbent Bhupendra Patel ahead of state elections that year.

He was appointed as BJP in-charge of Punjab after he quit as Gujarat CM.