From Union ministers to common man: Hundreds gather in Rajkot to bid final farewell to Rupani
Hundreds of people lined up on the roads of Rajkot on Monday, as the mortal remains of former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani reached his home town for his final rites. As people thronged the city roads with tearful eyes, offering floral tributes and chanting slogans hailing 'Vijaybhai', as he was fondly called, the family of the former CM was also joined by Union ministers Amit Shah and C R Paatil, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and Governor Acharya Devvrat among many other party leaders.
Rupani, one of the passengers who died in the plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, was traveling to London to join his daughter and other family members.
Earlier in the day, wrapped in the Tricolour, Rupani's mortal remains were handed over to his family at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital with state honours. Rupani's body was also accorded a Guard of Honour. On the occasion, CM Bhupendra Patel and ministers of his cabinet in the state government too remained present to offer tributes to Rupani.
The handing over of the mortal remains happened after the DNA samples of Rupani's family members matched with his mortal remains Sunday.
Following the identification of Rupani's body, the Gujarat government observed a day's official mourning Monday.
Rupani's wife Anjaliben, his daughter Radhika, son Rushabh and other family members were handed over the mortal remains as all of them broke down while paying tributes to him.
Subsequently, Rupani's mortal remains were taken to Rajkot by air. In Rajkot, the body was taken to his residence in a vehicle as people thronged the city roads to pay their last respect to the former CM. By late evening, as the funeral procession was carried out, Rajkot city witnessed heavy rains. However, people were seen braving the weather to pay tributes to their beloved leader.
Rupani's final rites were performed at Ramnath Para cermatorium in the city around 9 pm.
Three prayer meetings have been organised in Rajkot and Gandhinagar from Tuesday to pray tributes to Rupani. The first prayer meeting will be held at Race Course Maidan of Rajkot on Tuesday. On Thursday, a prayer meeting will be held at the Hall of Exhibition Centre of Helipad Ground in Gandhinagar.
The third prayer meeting will be held, on Friday, by Gujarat BJP at its state headquarters Shree Kamalam in Gandhinagar. Rupani is also a former Gujarat BJP president.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
29 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Amit Shah reviews preparation for forthcoming Census set to include caste enumeration in New Delhi
New Delhi [India], June 17 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed preparations for the upcoming Census of India, which is now officially set to include caste enumeration, as per the official statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs. The minister hailed this move as a 'historic decision' that corrected a 'historical wrong.' The notification to conduct the Census was published in the official Gazette on Monday, following a high-level meeting held in Delhi, where the Home Minister reviewed the plan along with the Union Home Secretary, Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI), and other senior officials. According to the release, the Census 2027 will be the 16th Census since inception and the 8th since Independence. It will be conducted in two phases -- the House Listing Operation (HLO) followed by the Population Enumeration (PE). In the first phase, details of housing conditions, assets, and amenities of each household will be collected. The second phase will gather information on the demographic, socio-economic, and cultural aspects of individuals. The caste data will also be collected in this phase, according to an official's statements. Clarifying media reports that questioned the mention of caste in the Gazette, the Home Ministry reiterated that the inclusion of caste enumeration was clearly stated in the press releases dated April 30, June 4, and June 15, 2025. In a post on X, Union Home Minister Amit Shah welcomed the move, calling it a bold and just decision by the Modi government. He posted, 'The CCPA meeting held under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi today corrected a historical wrong by deciding in favour of the integration of caste enumeration with the population census, and sent the message of its firm commitment to social equity and rights for every section of the society.' Shah also targeted the opposition, stating, 'The Congress and its allied parties opposed caste enumeration when they wielded power for decades but made it their electoral plank when in opposition. This decision will empower all economically and socially disadvantaged sections, promote inclusion, and pave new paths for the progress of the underprivileged.' The Population Census 2027 will begin with a reference date of March 1, 2027, for most parts of the country. The reference date for snow-bound and non-synchronous areas such as Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand will be October 1, 2026. According to the official statement, around 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and 1.3 lakh Census functionaries will be deployed for the exercise. This will be the first fully digital Census, using mobile apps and offering a self-enumeration option to citizens. Officials assured that stringent data security measures will be implemented during data collection, transmission, and storage. The last Census was conducted in 2011. A new round scheduled for 2021 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite all initial preparations being completed. (ANI)
Hans India
35 minutes ago
- Hans India
Five questions from Abhishek to Centre
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee posed five questions to the Centre on the ghastly terror attack at Pahalgam in which Hindu tourists were selectively killed. He also attacked the Opposition parties and the media for refraining from seeking the answers to these five questions from the Union government. 'It has been over 55 days since the Pahalgam terror attack. It is deeply concerning that in a democracy neither the mainstream media, members of the Opposition, nor the judiciary has stepped forward to raise these five critical questions before the Government of India. 'The first question is how did the four terrorists manage to infiltrate the border and launch an attack that killed 26 innocent civilians and where was the accountability for this massive breach in national security in the matter?' he said. 'If this was an Intelligence failure, why was the Intelligence Bureau chief granted a one-year extension, that, too, barely a month after the attack? Why was he rewarded rather than being held accountable? What is the compulsion? If the Government of India can conveniently use PEGASUS spyware against Opposition leaders (including me), journalists, and even judges, what stops it from using the same tools against terrorist networks and suspects?' the second question read. The third question was about the current status of the four terrorists who were responsible for the Pahalgam massacre. 'Where are the four terrorists responsible for this brutal, religion-based massacre? Are they dead or alive? If they have been neutralised, why has the governmentfailed to make a clear statement? And if they haven't, why is there silence?' the third question read. In his fourth question, Banerjee had sought a specific deadline from the Union government for the goal to make PoK an integral part of India. In the same question, Banerjee enquired why India did not officially respond to the U.S. President's claim that he persuaded India into a ceasefire with promises of trade. 'Just as the nation stood together irrespective of their cast, creed, religion, and political affinity, celebrating the triumph of righteousness and saluting the valour and sacrifice of our armed forces, why were the emotions of 140 crore Indians disregarded? What led to such a compromise?' the fourth question read.
Hans India
35 minutes ago
- Hans India
Union minister Goyal worships at Tirumala
Tirumala: Union minister for commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, accompanied by family members, offered prayers to the Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala on Monday. On their arrival, the minister was accorded a grand reception by the TTD chairman B R Naidu, addl EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary and temple priests and was escorted him to the sanctum sanctorum. Inside the sanctum sanctorum, priests explained to the Union minister the significance of the Lord and the jewels adorned to the presiding deity. The Union minister spent a few minutes praying before the presiding deity and later reached Ranganayakula Mandapam where he was accorded Vedasirvachanam by temple priests. TTD chairman and addl EO offered the minister Lord's silk vastram, prasadams and laminated photo of Lord Venkateswara. AP ministers Anagani Satya Prasad, T G Bharat, TTD board members Dr Panabaka Lakshmi, Janga Krishnamurthy, M Santharam, Naresh Kumar, G Bhanuprakash Reddy, temple DyEO Lokanadham, reception officials Bhaskar, Satre Naik and others were present.
