Thousands of people gathered to bid a tearful farewell to for mer Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Ravi Sitaram Naik, at his fu neral held at Khadpaband Hill on Wednesday. The ceremony was conduct ed with full State Guard honours, reflecting the veteran leader’s dec ades-long contribution to Goan politics. Naik’s elder son, Ritesh Naik, lit the funeral pyre in an emotional ceremony, at tended by family, support ers and a large number of political leaders. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant remained at Naik’s residence from 10 am un til the final rites were per formed at 5.45 pm. Earlier, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi paid his respects at 4.30 pm.
From early morning, a steady stream of political figures and cabinet ministers, cutting across party lines, visited the residence to pay homage. Among them were Opposi tion leader Yuri Alemao, Goa Forward Party leader Vijai Sardesai, Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, Revenue Min ister Babush Monseraat, BJP President Damu Naik, former Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane and several other State leaders. The outpouring of grief from the public and politicians alike highlighted Naik’s enduring popularity and his rep utation as a leader deeply connected to the people, espe cially within the Bhandari Samaj and the wider Goan com munity
