Former Kerala CM laid to rest in special tomb sans state honours

Kottayam (Kerala): No bugles were sounded and there were no uniformed police personnel to accord a gun salute as former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy was laid to rest as a commoner, fulfilling his wish, in Puthuppally near here on Thursday night.

He was buried at 12:02 am in a special tomb at St. George Orthodox Church here alongside the departed priests.

Senior Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi, former defence minister AK Antony, state ministers and leaders of various political parties attended Chandy's funeral at the church where he used to attend the holy mass on Sundays despite his hectic schedule as the CM.

Thousands of people gathered at the church to bid an emotional farewell to their 'Kunjoonju', as Chandy was affectionately called by the people of Puthuppally, the constituency he represented in the state assembly for more than five decades.

The Congress stalwart's family members, including his wife Mariamma Oommen, three children and grandchildren, were inconsolable as his mortal remains were lowered into the grave.

Chandy died at a hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday after prolonged illness. He was 79. Chandy had wanted a common man's burial and accordingly, he was laid to rest without the state honours that are usually accorded to former chief ministers.

Earlier in the day, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar and various state ministers paid rich tributes to Chandy at the Thirunakkara Ground here.

State Cooperation Minister V N Vasavan accompanied the bus carrying Chandy's mortal remains from Thiruvananthapuram. Additionally, actors Mammootty and Suresh Gopi, religious leaders and thousands of others paid homage to Chandy at the Thirunakkara Ground.

People offered flowers and some even cried as they got one last glimpse of the former chief minister. It was an emotionally charged environment at the Thirunakkara Ground with Congress workers and supporters raising slogans like "He (Chandy) has not died, he lives within us". (PTI)