Thousands join Gogoi's funeral procession
Guwahati: The mortal remains of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi who was a "secular leader in theory and practice" were on Thursday taken to a church, namghar, mosque, temple and a Bihu function field, as per his last wish, before it was consigned to flames.
It was an emotional journey, rarely seen in Assam, with scores of admirers and onlookers stopping the flower- bedecked truck at several places, bowing their heads before the huge cut-outs of Gogoi on the vehicle, and offering floral tributes.
There was a sea of humanity everywhere with footpaths, dividers, vehicle tops and roofs of buildings occupied by men and women along the nearly 25-km-long procession route.
The crowd thickened as the day advanced.
Cutting across age groups, people were seen weeping, while hundreds were taking pictures and videos of the last journey of their beloved leader.
Traditional drums and cymbals were played, and conch shells were blown along the entire route.
The city came to a standstill, especially along the arterial Guwahati-Shillong Road, RGB Road, MD Road, GNB Road, Lamb Road, and other places like Rukminigaon, Ganeshguri, Zoo gate, Commerce College point, Chandmari and Guwahati Club point.
Shops and commercial establishments at several places in Guwahati and other parts of the state pulled their shutters down as a mark of respect. The state government had announced a half-day holiday from 1 pm on Thursday.
The Congress stalwart died here on November 23 while undergoing treatment for post-COVID-19 complications at the age of 84 years.
"Gogoi sir was truly a secular leader in theory and practice. There are many leaders who preach secularism, but never follow it. Gogoi sir even allowed his son Gaurav to marry a Christian girl from the UK. So, he encouraged cultural assimilation also," Congress spokesperson Rhituporna Konwar said.
Earlier at 7:30 am, the former chief minister's glass coffin, wrapped in flowers, was taken out from Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, where his body was kept for the public to pay their respect, to his official residence at Dispur. At the residence, his family members completed rituals and his wife Dolly, daughter Chandrima, daughter-in-law Elizabeth and grandchildren bid adieu to him. Congress general secretary Jitendra Singh and many other prominent leaders paid their last respects to the departed leader at his house.
Among the pall bearers who carried his body up to the vehicle were his son Gaurav Gogoi, Congress state unit chief Ripun Bora and other leaders.
