Karunanidhi Laid to Rest at Marina Beach With State Honours

The DMK patriarch’s body was wrapped in the tri-colour, with his trademark black shades and yellow stole.

(Photo: ANI Screengrab)

Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam

DMK patriarch and five-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was laid to rest beside his mentor CN Annadurai at Marina beach on Wednesday, 8 August. A two-hour funeral procession, covering a distance of nearly 3 km, headed by the Karunanidhi's son and DMK Working President MK Stalin, wound its way from Rajaji Hall to the Marina shores.

The DMK patriarch’s body, with his signature black shades and yellow stole, was wrapped in a tri-colour. The soldiers gave him a state funeral with full military honours. A military band played "Honouring Those Who Served" as the casket was taken from the cortege to the grave. Buglers sounded the last post and gunners fired a 21-gun salute.

DMK Cadre Lined Up To Pay Final Respect

As Karunanidhi's body, on a flower-decked military vehicle, began its last journey from Rajaji Hall, tens of thousands of emotionally-charged men and women lined up on both sides of the road to Marina, shouting slogans hailing the departed leader for his services to the poor and the downtrodden.

In keeping with his rationalist beliefs, Karunanidhi's body in a sandalwood casket was lowered into the earth without religious rituals. As per his wish, the words – "The person who had worked without rest is resting here" – were carved on the casket.

Modi, Rahul, CMs Pay Homage to Kalaignar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, several Chief Ministers and many national opposition leaders joined the sea of mourners from across Tamil Nadu, outside Rajaji Hall where the body was kept since morning for public viewing.

Those who paid last respects included Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal ledear Tejashwi Yadav, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, his predecessor Prakash Karat, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayansamy, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Family Bids Teary-Eyed Farewell

Stalin and his sister Selvi broke down at the Marina beach before the body of the patriarch was interred. Stalin had wept in the morning, too, after the DMK won the legal battle for a burial space at the Marina Beach.

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister E. Palaniswamy, his deputy O. Panneerselvam and a number of cabinet ministers also placed wreaths and paid homage at Rajaji Hall in the morning even as a legal battle was on against the AIADMK government's decision to allot burial land for Karunanidhi on Sardar Patel road.

Midnight Legal Drama

After a long midnight hearing, a two-judge bench of the Madras High Court, headed by acting Chief Justice H Ramesh, rejected the government's contention and permitted the burial at the Marina Beach. It also asked the government to take all steps to assist in the process.

In Delhi, as the two Houses of Parliament paid homage to the last link of the Dravidian era and adjourned for the day, the central government observed a day of national mourning. The national flag flew half-mast and all government functions were cancelled.

The leader of the DMK for 50 long years, and one of India's most experienced politicians, Karunanidhi, breathed his last owing to age-related ailments in a private hospital on Tuesday evening. There was a complete shutdown in the city and across the state. The government declared a public holiday as a mark of respect to Karunanidhi.

(With inputs from IANS)