ITANAGAR, May 5 � Nearly the entire population of Itanagar stepped out of their four walls and lined up along the capital streets with bated breath since morning today to have a glimpse of their beloved Chief Minister after knowing that the body of Dorjee Khandu will be brought to the State capital.
His popularity was palpable as tens of thousands of people � old and young alike � were seen expressing profound sense of grief and sorrow and some of them were in tears the moment the truck transporting the coffin of Khandu to the Chief Minister�s bungalow passed through the streets.
The grief-stricken people lined up on both sides of the road leading to Chief Minister�s bungalow from Raj Bhavan helipad to have a last glimpse of their departed leader. On the other hand, the business community also kept their shutters down throughout the day to mourn the Chief Minister�s untimely death.
The MI-17 helicopter carrying Khandu�s body, which flew out of Tawang around 11.10 am arrived at the Raj Bhavan helipad here at 1 pm via Tezpur. At Raj Bhavan ground, Governor JJ Singh received the body and the Arunachal Pradesh Police personnel accorded a guard of honour to the mortal remains of the CM.
Union Ministers V Narayanaswamy, BK Handique, Salman Kursheed, Mukul Wasnik and Vincent Pala, State Governor Gen JJ Singh, Council of Ministers, Speaker Wanglin Lowandong, MPs Ninong Ering and Mukut Mithi, former Deputy Chief Minister Kameng Dolo, legislators and senior officers and other public leaders were present at the Raj Bhavan helipad when the coffin decorated with flowers and national flag was brought from Tawang. Lok Sabha MP Takam Sanjoy was also present who arrived from Tawang in another chopper accompanying the MI-17 helicopter.
Floral tributes were paid at the mortal remains of Khandu at his official residence by the Governor, all Central ministers and party leaders, State dignitaries and the general public. Representatives of all faith groups also prayed for eternal peace of Khandu�s departed soul.
Earlier in the morning, two separate condolence meetings were held at Itanagar � one at State Congress headquarters by the ruling party and the other at the Banquet Hall � by the State government to mourn the tragic demise of Dorjee Khandu and four others in a chopper crash at Luguthang area in Tawang district on April 30 last.
His body was first spotted and identified by a village panchayat leader, Thupten, yesterday ending the five-day-long speculations on the fate of the Chief Minister.
Earlier this morning, two bodies � Khandu with head injury and Yeshi Lhamu (with burn injury in leg), the younger sister of Tawang MLA Tsewang Dhondup � were retrieved and brought to Tawang civil hospital. Local villagers and security personnel carried Khandu�s body on their shoulders, trekking the tortuous mountain terrain and braving three feet of snow cover, to Loguthang from where the bodies were brought to Tawang by a small aircraft before being flown to Itanagar through the IAF�s MI-17 chopper.
Three other bodies � two of the pilots Captain JS Babbar and Captain TS Manik and the third of CM�s security officer Yeshi Choddak � were charred beyond recognition.
7-day state mourning: The Arunachal Government today declared a seven-day state mourning from May 5 to 11 in honour of late Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu. During the period, the national flag will be kept half-mast and there will be no official entertainment during the state mourning period. The government also observed a one-day holiday today.
