4 min readNew DelhiDec 30, 2024 11:56 AM IST
First published on: Dec 29, 2024 at 04:22 PM IST
The ashes of former prime minister Manmohan Singh were immersed in the Yamuna river near Majnu ka Tila Gurdwara on Sunday (December 29) in New Delhi, by members of his family following Sikh rituals.
Singh was given a state funeral a day before, on December 28. He was cremated at the Nigambodh Ghat in New Delhi, in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and other senior leaders.
Singh’s body, draped in the Indian flag, was carried through New Delhi on a flower-decked carriage pulled by a ceremonial army truck. Before his body was placed on the pyre, the flag was removed and the body covered with a saffron cloth, in accordance with the rules of a state funeral.
What is a ‘state funeral’? Who is accorded this, and what are the rules? We explain.
What is a state funeral?
A ‘state funeral’ is when a person of importance is laid to rest in an elaborate ceremony following laid-down rules, involving members of the public in the mourning.
In India, according to government guidelines, a state funeral “will be accorded in the event of the death of the President, Prime Minister, a former President or a Governor. No State funeral will be accorded in the event of the death of any other dignitary, but in individual cases Central Government may order a State funeral.”
Recent examples of this include industrialist Ratan Tata and singer Lata Mangeshkar, who were given state funerals.
“A State funeral will be attended by all the gazetted officers of Government who may be present in the station. Service personnel will wear dress as for State functions. Arrangements for the State funeral will be made by the Ministry of Defence on receipt of information from the Ministry of Home Affairs,” the rules further say.
What is national mourning?
National mourning can also be declared by the Centre or state governments for political leaders and others who have made an exceptional contribution to the country. The National Flag in such cases is flown at half mast, following a set of rules.
“When State mourning is observed on the death of any dignitary, the flags will be half-masted throughout the period of mourning throughout India in the case of the Union dignitaries and throughout the State concerned in the case of a State dignitary,” the rules say.
After Manmohan Singh’s death, the government announced seven days of state mourning, from December 26 to January 1, during which period the “national flag will be flown at half mast throughout India where it is regularly flown.”
Also, no official entertainments are held during national or state mourning, unless Republic Day, Independence Day or Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary fall during this period, in which case “the mourning shall be interrupted on such day and the unexpired period of mourning shall be observed immediately following the interruption.”
In a state funeral, the dignitary’s body can be draped in the national flag. However, Section 3.58 of the Flag Code of India, 2002, says: “On occasions of State/Military/Central Paramilitary Forces funerals, the flag shall be draped over the bier or coffin with the saffron towards the head of the bier or coffin. The Flag shall not be lowered into the grave or burnt in the pyre.”
The mortal remains of former PM Manmohan Singh being carried during the his State Funeral, at the Nigam Bodh Ghat in New Delhi, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (PTI Photo) 
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