HT Correspondent

NALBARI, April 20: Former chief minister and veteran Congress leader Dr. Bhumidhar Barman was cremated with full state honours at his native village in Nalbari district on Tuesday.

The last rites of Dr. Barman were performed near the Singimari Bhakatram Pukhuri at Belsor.

His son, Diganta Barman, lit the funeral pyre in the presence of thousands of party workers and well-wishers of the prominent leader.

Diganta Barman is the Congress candidate for Barkhetry constituency in the recently-concluded assembly elections.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday attended the last rites of Dr Barman at Belsor and paid floral tribute to the departed leader.

Later talking to the reporters on the sideline of the funeral activity, Sonowal said that with the death of Dr Barman, the state lost a great leader and a towering personality.

Not only as a political leader, he served the society selflessly as a physician. The examples set by him will inspire the posterity to serve the motherland with diligence, devotion and honesty. Sonowal at the same time prayed to the Almighty for eternal peace of the departed soul.

Dr. Barman, a seven-time MLA breathed his last on Sunday.

Born on October 12, 1931 at Belsor, Barman graduated from Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh in 1956. He was first elected as an MLA from Dharmapur constituency in 1967.

Dr. Barman was re-elected in 1972 from the same constituency. In the 1983 elections also, Dr. Barman retained the seat.

He was elected to the state assembly from Barkhetry constituency in 1991, 2001, 2006 and 2011.

The senior Congress leader served as the chief minister of Assam for a brief period—from April 22, 1996 to May 14, 1996.

Due to old age, Dr. Barman didn’t contest the elections in 2016.

Dr. Barman had served in several important positions both in the government and the Congress party.