Amid chanting of mantras, Atal's ashes immersed at Patthar Ghat

KANPUR: Amid chanting of mantras, the 'asthis' (urn containing ashes) of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was immersed at Patthar Ghat in Bithoor on Friday evening. Vajpayee's niece Nandita Mishra, her husband Sumit, grand-daughter Rekha Pandey, grandson Abhishek Pandey, friend Devarshi Sharma, cabinet ministers Satya Dev Pachauri, Satish Mahana, Archana Pandey, Suresh Khanna and others were present at the dais.
As many as 11 pundits (priests) recited mantras and performed rituals. Nandita Mishra and others immersed 'asthis' of late PM at Patthar Ghat in Ganga at around 6 pm. The programme was delayed by around three hours as the 'Asthi Kalash' reached Jajmau at around 2.15 pm against the scheduled time of 11.30 am. Cabinet ministers, BJP leaders, mayor Pramila Pandey, Devendra Singh Bholey MP and district administration officers welcomed the 'kalash' kept in an open vehicle with large portrait of late PM at the botton of which were written lines of his famous poem.

Congress leaders and workers paid tributes to Vajpayee's kalash by offering flower petals. City Congress president Harprakash Agnihotri said that Atalji was not only a BJP leader but was a leader of 125 crore people of the country.

Many Muslim leaders of different political parties also paid floral tributes to the late PM. The convoy, which had entered into the city from Harjinder Nagar, passed from Pandit Hotel trisection, Noronha crossing, Phool Bagh, Parade crossing, Chunniganj, Moti Jheel, Rawatpur and Vishnupuri.

The BJP workers were raising slogans such as 'Jab tak suraj chanda rahega, Atalji aapka naam rahega'. People also formed a human chain at several places and showered rose petals at the 'asthi kalash'.

There was a huge crowd at Patthar Ghat at the time of asthi immersion. The district administration had made elaborate security arrangements at Bithoor Ghat.

Elaborate security arrangements were also made right from Jajmau to Patthar Ghat in view of the VIP movement along the route with the deployment of over 2,000 police and PAC personnel to maintain vigil.

District Magistrate Vijay Vishwas Pant and SSP Akhilesh Kumar arrived at the Ganga bridge at Jajmau to take stock of the arrangements.