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Vajpayee�s ashes arrive in city, to be immersed today

By STAFF REPORTER/CORRESPONDENT

GUWAHATI/JALUKBARI, Aug 22 - The urn containing the ashes of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away recently, arrived in Guwahati today.

State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass brought the urn containing the ashes from New Delhi by a flight, which landed at the LGBI Airport here around 2.30 pm. Soon thereafter Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal formally received the urn from Dass.

Dass had gone to New Delhi yesterday to bring the late Prime Minister�s ashes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had handed over the urn to Dass during a function held there.

Besides Chief Minister Sonowal, members of the Council of Ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior BJP leaders and general public were present at the LGBI Airport when the flight carrying the urn landed there.

Sonowal and Dass, along with Guwahati Lok Sabha MP Bijoya Chakravarty, climbed atop �Asthi Kalash Rath�, the vehicle designated to carry the ashes from the airport, and placed the urn at the designated spot on the vehicle beautifully decorated with flowers.

The urn was then carried to State BJP headquarters at Hengrabari in a long procession, escorted by a huge contingent of motorcycle-borne policemen. The procession was followed by a convoy of vehicles, including that of Sonowal.

On the way to the State BJP headquarters, the cavalcade stopped at Dharapur Chariali, Gauhati University, Maligaon, Fancy Bazar and Ulubari, where people from different walks of life paid tribute to the departed leader.

Similar scenes were witnessed at other places on the route through which the cavalcade passed, before it finally reached the State BJP headquarters at Hengrabari in the evening.

The general public will be able to pay homage to the departed leader at the State BJP headquarters till 8 am tomorrow. A public tribute to the late Prime Minister will be held on the Karbi Yuva Sangha premises at Hengrabari from 8 am to 12.30 pm tomorrow.

The procession to immerse the ashes will begin at 1 pm tomorrow and pass through RG Baruah Road, Chandmari and Latasil playground before being immersed in the Brahmaputra, near Lachit Park after 4 pm.

Sources said that Chief Minister Sonowal is personally monitoring the entire programme leading up to the immersion of the ashes. He and other dignitaries will be present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, another urn containing the ashes of the departed leader will be immersed in the Barak river at the same time.

It may be noted that a decision was taken at the highest level in New Delhi to immerse the ashes of Vajpayee in as many as 100 rivers of the country, including the Brahmaputra and the Barak in Assam.

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