Mortal remains of former CM donated for med research amid emotional farewell

Kolkata: The mortal remains of former Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee were handed over to the Anatomy department of NRS Medical College and Hospital on Friday evening for medical research, amid tears of his supporters and chants of ‘Amar Rahe’ and ‘Lal Salam Comrade’.

Hundreds of mourners and Bhattacharjee’s supporters followed the flower-decked hearse as it entered the hospital and at around 5.30 pm, Bhattacharjee’s body was carried inside the department by party activists, supporters and his party leaders. The body of CPI(M) stalwart Bhattacharjee has been donated for medical research as per his and his family’s wishes.

Several CPI(M) leaders and Bhattacharjee’s son Suchetan were present in the compound. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Santanu Sen and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh, along with other ruling party leaders, also attended to pay their respects and assist in the handover process.

Senior Professor Abhijit Bhakta from the Anatomy department received the body on behalf of the hospital. An official from the department said the body would be preserved and kept for future medical research. Earlier in the day, Bhattacharjee’s mortal remains were taken to the state Assembly where state ministers, MLAs, MPs paid tribute to the former chief minister.

Bhattacharjee’s body, wrapped with the CPI(M)’s red flag and covered with red roses, was brought to the assembly from a mortuary amid tears of his supporters and slogans.

His wife Meera Bhattacharjee and son Suchetan were alongside his mortal remains. Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay and Deputy Speaker Ashish Banerjee also paid their respects. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, Power minister Aroop Biswas and Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay paid floral tribute to the former CM. Director-General Police Rajeev Kumar and Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal also paid their floral tributes. Former Congress MLA Asit Mitra, Left Front chairman Biman Bose and veteran CPI(M) leaders Surjyakanta Mishra and Rabin Deb were also present

at the Assembly.

The former chief minister’s body was kept overnight at a mortuary. From the Assembly, his mortal remains were taken to the CPI(M)’s state headquarters Muzaffar Ahmed Bhavan. Hundreds of people gathered there to pay their final respects to Bhattacharjee. Mourners lined up to honour Bhattacharjee. They were carrying banners and placards adorned with his image.

It was learnt that Bhattacharjee’s party turned down the state government’s offer of a gun salute to the leader claiming he was “against such pomp and show”. Incidentally, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday offered “all possible government support” if the family wanted to keep the body at the state’s iconic cultural centres Rabindra Sadan and Nanda, reportedly the Communist leader’s favourite places to frequent. Bhattacharjee, who died Thursday, was chief minister for 10 years from 2001 to 2011.