PANJIM: A sea of supporters joined the funeral procession for the ‘antim kriya’ of the departed Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at Miramar, on Monday evening. His mortal remains were cremated next to the memorial of Goa’s first CM Dayanand Bandodkar. After Bandodkar, Parrikar is the only CM to die while serving as the head of the government.
The funeral procession reached the final destination from Kala Academy at around 5:19pm. As thousands of people also participated in the last walk, defence officials – in keeping with the military honours – placed wreaths on the body of the CM while other leaders paid their floral tributes before the ‘vidhi’ (Hindu rituals).
The atmosphere was filled with strong emotions as Parrikar’s elder son Utpal lit the pyre after performing the final rites in the presence of a host of priests.
The Naval Band also played King Saul’s Dead March at the funeral and a 21-gun salute was shot in the air, as a mark of respect to Parrikar.
The Rapid Action Force, a specialised wing of the Central Reserve Police Force had taken control of the security from Kala Academy till Miramar. The Goa Police force assisted in providing security all through the funeral procession.
Nearly a lakh of people from across the State thronged the capital city to pay their last respects to the departed chief minister. The mourners also got an opportunity to witness the final rites on a large screen as they thronged the Miramar stretch.
Earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders paid their last respects to the chief minister as the body lay in state at Kala Academy.
