Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was laid to rest with state honors at Nigambodh Ghat on Saturday, amidst the chanting of religious hymns. His eldest daughter, Upinder Singh, lit the funeral pyre.
The ceremony was attended by President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other prominent leaders. Foreign dignitaries, including Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Mauritius' Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful, also paid their respects.
Key Indian leaders such as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and opposition leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi were present. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and the three service chiefs paid their last respects.
The procession carrying Singh's mortal remains reached the crematorium at 11:30 am. Draped in the Tricolour, his casket was placed on a raised platform, where leaders across party lines laid wreaths.
Earlier, Singh's body was brought to the AICC headquarters, where Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi paid their respects.
Thousands of Congress workers and supporters joined the procession, chanting slogans such as “Manmohan Singh amar rahe” and “Jab tak suraj chand rahega, tab tak tera naam rahega.” Singh's wife, Gursharan Kaur, and one of their daughters also laid wreaths.
Manmohan Singh passed away on Thursday at AIIMS Delhi due to age-related complications at the age of 92. Widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reforms, he served as the nation’s prime minister from 2004 to 2014.
A seven-day national mourning has been declared, with the national flag flown at half-mast across the country in his honour.
