Her funeral was conducted in near-secrecy and amid tight security, but all of India mourned as the mortal remains of the brave 23-year-old gang-rape victim were cremated at Dwarka early on Sunday morning.
The bubbly girl who was the pride and joy of her family could not live to fulfil her fond dreams. But as the protesters who congregated at Jantar Mantar a few hours later clearly demonstrated, the memory of her courage will never die.
The aircraft bearing her body reached Palam technical area of IGI airport from Singapore at 3.30 am. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi arrived immediately. They spent around 30 minutes at the airport consoling the girl’s parents. The body reached the family’s residence at around 4:30 am in an ambulance amid heavy security and a convoy of police vans.
After prayers by relatives, the girl's body was taken to the Dwarka crematorium at 6:45am in dense fog. The ground had no light and preparations for her funeral were made under torch and flashlights. The girl's emotionally drained mother collapsed and was rushed to hospital, where doctors later described her condition as stable.
Her father lit the pyre with chief minister Sheila Dikshit, Union minister RPN Singh and Delhi BJP chief Vijender Gupta among those in attendance.
Sonia was learnt to have expressed her wish to receive the body and meet the grief stricken family at a Congress core group meeting at the PM’s residence late on Saturday evening .
The meeting – also attended by home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and RPN Singh – agreed with Sonia’s decision and also advised the PM to be there at the airport. Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit and West Delhi MP Mahabal Mishra, too, were informed about the plan.
No comments:
Post a Comment