Last rites of Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of Gujarat, were performed in Rajkot on Monday evening.
Rupani, the 16 chief minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021, was 68.
He died on June 12 in Air India AI 171’s crash in Ahmedabad. The flight carrying 242 crashed within minutes after take off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Only one person onboard the flight survived.
Rupani is survived by his wife, Anjali, a son and a daughter.
Before the last rites, a funeral procession was carried out in Rajkot, his “karmabhoomi”.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat and a host of senior BJP leaders were present.
Earlier in the day, his body was handed over to the family members at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.
It was brought to Rajkot in a chartered flight.
Rupani was born to Mayaben and Ramniklal on June 12, 1956 in Ragoon, present day Yangon, Myanmar. He was a post graduate in Law. His family had moved to Rajkot in 1960 due to political instability in Burma.
He began his political career with the ABVP and later on joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Jan Sangh. He was jailed during emergency and also served as a pracharak of the RSS.
Rupani was elected as a corporator during his career and had also served as a Rajya Sabha member.
He was picked up by the BJP leadership as Anandiben Patel’s successor as the Gujarat chief minister when she resigned as the chief minister citing “75 year age criteria”.
Meanwhile, the investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder. The flight data recorder was recovered on Friday.
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