Vijay Rupani's Last Rites With Full State Honours, State Mourning For A Day
New Delhi:
The state funeral of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who was killed in the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, will be held on Monday with full state honours. A one-day state mourning in memory of the BJP leader will be observed.
Three days after the plane crash, the body of the former chief minister was identified after DNA testing.
A large team of forensic experts have been working to identify bodies of those killed in one of the worst aviation disasters in India by matching DNA with samples collected from their relatives.
DNA-matching is a complex medical and legal process and involves layers of verification. It's only after an elaborate set of tests and confirmation of DNA samples, families are called up and asked to collect the bodies of their loved ones.
In some cases, the analysis is repeated due to insufficient DNA material. The identification process can take up to 72 hours.
The confirmation of Vijay Rupani's identification was announced by Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Sunday morning.
The last rites of Vijay Rupani will be done in Rajkot. Gujarat Health Minister Rishikesh Patel earlier on Sunday said the state government will facilitate all the arrangements after the family decides on the funeral proceedings.
"Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi visited late Vijaybhai Rupani ji's residence today and told the family members that his DNA has been confirmed. His family will take call on last rites and final stage preparations for cremation. After consultation with them, all arrangements will be done," Rishikesh Patel said.
State MLA Reenaben Patel said a lot of well-wishers and supporters of the former chief minister in Rajkot have been waiting to pay their tributes and bid a final goodbye.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI171 from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, crashed immediately after take-off, killing 241 of the 242 people on board.
Vijay Rupani was flying to London to meet his wife and daughter.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
News18 Afternoon Digest: Trump Cuts Short G7 Summit Visit, Iran's Top Commander Killed & Other Top Stories
Last Updated: We are also covering London-bound Air India flight cancelled In Ahmedabad, ICC to introduce 4-day test in next WTC Cycle and other top stories. In today's News18 afternoon digest, we bring to you the latest updates on escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, Trump leaving G7 Summit early and other top stories. Iran's War-Time Chief Of Staff Ali Shadmani Killed In Israeli Airstrike In Tehran, IDF Confirms Ali Shadmani, Iran's wartime Chief of Staff, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran, the Israeli Defence Forces confirmed on Tuesday. Shadmani was also the Iranian regime's top military commander and its senior-most military official. Read more London-Bound Air India Flight Cancelled In Ahmedabad Due To Technical Glitch An Air India flight, scheduled to depart for London from Ahmedabad, was cancelled on Tuesday due to technical issues. According to the details, the Air India flight AI 159 had arrived from New Delhi to Ahmedabad and was scheduled to take off to London. Read more Donald Trump on Tuesday said that the possible ceasefire between Israel and Iran is not the reason behind his early departure from the G7 Summit in Canada; in fact, there is something 'much bigger than that". He also reacted to the French President's comment on his G7 exit and said, 'Emmanuel Macron always gets it wrong". Read more Karisma Kapoor, once engaged to Abhishek Bachchan in 2002, was poised to become the Bachchan family's bahu. But their highly publicised engagement ended just months later. In 2003, Karisma tied the knot with Delhi-based industrialist Sunjay Kapur. The marriage, however, did not stand the test of time and ended in a bitter and prolonged legal battle. While the couple was parents to two children, their divorce, finalised in 2016, became a talking point in the media due to the serious allegations involved. Karisma accused Sunjay of domestic abuse, while Sunjay alleged that she had married him only for money. Read more ICC To Introduce 4-Day Test In Next WTC Cycle; IND, ENG And AUS Could Still Play 5-Day Games The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly open to allow four-day Tests to be played from the 2027-29 ICC World Test Championship cycle. The move is aimed at enabling smaller teams to play more Tests and host longer series. As per the current WTC cycle, which got underway today, 27 Test series will be played of which 17 will comprise just two matches. There will be six three-Test series while the likes of India, Australia and England are scheduled to play five-match series against each other. Read more First Published: June 17, 2025, 13:57 IST
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
‘They are spreading hatred': Damdami Taksal criticises pro-Khalistan groups in Canada ahead of G7 Summit
In a rare public statement, Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal Monday openly criticised pro-Khalistan groups in Canada for their recent anti-India demonstrations ahead of the G7 Summit, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend. Professor Sarchand Singh Khyala, spokesperson for Damdami Taksal and a BJP leader, said in a statement, 'In the video, I can see that innocent children aged between five and seven years disrespecting the pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The pro-Khalistani people are spewing venom against India. They are spreading hatred by brainwashing children, and I strongly condemn this,' Khyala said. Khyala also praised PM Modi, who reached Canada Tuesday for the G7 Summit at Kananaskis in Alberta, for his efforts on behalf of the Sikh community. 'Sikhs are known for their brotherly harmony and for helping people. PM Modi has done a lot for our Sikh community. Whatever has not been done in the last 70 years, PM Modi has done it. This is the reason PM Modi has been awarded the Qaumi Seva Award by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for his contributions to the Sikh community,' he said. Khyala was the spokesperson for Damdami Taksal, and he has continued to communicate with the media on behalf of the organisation even after joining the BJP in January 2022 during the Punjab Assembly elections campaign. Damdami Taksal, which primarily focuses on training Sikh preachers, previously supported the BJP in Maharashtra during the 2024 Assembly polls. It maintains influence within the Sikh community through its network of trained preachers and maintains links to several gurdwaras, including some under SGPC management and others in countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It was once led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the radical Sikh preacher who was killed in Operation Bluestar in 1984. Bhindranwale was seen as a prominent figure by many within the Damdami Taksal.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Five lakh devotees expected at Lord Murugan conference in Madurai on June 22: BJP's Nainar Nagendran
The Bharatiya Janata Party's Tamil Nadu unit is preparing for a massive show of spiritual solidarity, with state president Nainar Nagendran announcing that the upcoming Murugan Conference in Madurai is expected to draw over 500,000 devotees. The event, scheduled for June 22, will be held near the historic city that holds deep cultural and religious significance for Lord Murugan devotees. Addressing the media at the party's state headquarters, Kamalalayam, in Chennai, Nagendran said that despite the DMK government's 'efforts to impose unnecessary restrictions,' the spiritual fervor among devotees remains unshaken. 'Lakhs of Murugan bhakts are expected to congregate in Madurai, reinforcing Tamil Nadu's deep-rooted spiritual traditions,' he stated. The conference will see the participation of top political leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, both of whom have confirmed their presence. Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary K. Palaniswami has also been formally invited as a guest, reflecting the larger unity among alliance partners on spiritual platforms. Nainar Nagendran reiterated that the event is not political. 'This is a spiritual gathering, a celebration of faith in Lord Murugan. It should not be viewed through a political lens,' he emphasised. However, he added, 'Any political movement that aligns itself with the spiritual aspirations of the people will naturally find resonance and success.' The Murugan Bhakts' Conference, conceptualised by the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit, aims to unify devotees of Lord Murugan -- widely worshipped across Tamil Nadu, particularly in hill temples like Palani, Thiruchendur, Swamimalai, and Pazhamudircholai. The deity is regarded as the Tamil god of war and wisdom, and Murugan devotion forms a core element of Tamil Saivite tradition. The event will also feature cultural programmes, devotional singing, and the screening of a specially produced theme video and song, which was released earlier by senior BJP leaders, including former Governor and party leader Tamilisai Soundararajan. Organisers said that arrangements are being made to accommodate the large influx of devotees expected to arrive from across the state and neighbouring regions, with the conference set to mark a major spiritual milestone in Tamil Nadu's devotional calendar.
