Mortal remains of Fernandes to be cremated on Thursday

The mortal remains of veteran socialist and former defence minister George Fernandes will be cremated on Thursday afternoon in the national capital while his ashes will be buried the next day.

Fernandes (88), who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease for years, breathed his last on Tuesday at 6 am. At 11 am on Thursday, a memorial prayer service will be held at his Panchsheel residence while the cremation will be held at the Lodhi Road Electric Crematorium at 3 pm. It was Fernandes' wish that he be cremated.

His last journey to the crematorium will be in an Army vehicle and conducted by the Army in honour of his stint in the Defence Ministry, his associates said in a statement on behalf of Fernandes' wife Leila Kabir. On February 1, the ashes will be buried in Christian Cemetery on Prithviraj Road.

Fernandes' younger brother Michael said that his immediate family wanted him to be cremated in the national capital as it was where he spent most of his life.

“When George came to Bengaluru for Lawrence's (brother) funeral, he had expressed his wish that he had hinted that he should be cremated and later his ashes should be buried in the family grave in Bengaluru cemetery on Hosur Road. We are not insisting on that as he lived most of his life here,” he told DH.

He said the ashes will be carried in a casket and then buried in the Christian cemetery here. “The family wanted this way,” he said.