A huge crowd converged at the Har ki Pauri ghat in Haridwar to bid their final farewell to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as his ashes were immersed in river Ganga on Sunday. Top party leaders including BJP president Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, his Uttarakhand counterpart Trivendra Singh Rawat, Vajpayee's foster daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya and other family members were present as the urn carrying his ashes was emptied into the river amid chanting of Vedic hymns. A huge crowd followed the flower-bedecked truck carrying Vajpayee's urn. The procession started from Bhalla college ground and ended at Har ki Pauri, as reported by PTI. READ | Atal Bihari Vajpayee, poet-politician, cremated as nation pays teary-eyed tribute People were seen standing on balconies and rooftops of buildings to witness the procession as it snaked through the overcrowded streets. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's ashes immersed in the Ganga, at Hari Ki Pauri, Haridwar.@IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/1qxzsF8ppw — Kavita (@Cavieta) August 19, 2018 Vajpayee's son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya carried the urn past the surging crowds to Brahmakund (Har ki Pauri), where it was later immersed in the Ganga amid elaborate rituals performed by "Teerth purohits" (priests). ALSO READ | Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924-2018): Democrat in Nehruvian mould According to PTI, security arrangements were made from the Jollygrant airport to Har ki Pauri in view of the VIP movement. Over a thousand security personnel were deployed to maintain vigil during the entire procession. Vajpayee, a former prime minister and one of the BJP’s tallest leaders, passed away on August 16 in New following a prolonged illness. He was laid to rest with full state honours at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal in New Delhi on Friday. (With inputs from PTI)
