Bal Thackeray cremated with full state honours

Shiv Sena supporters walk with the mortal remains of Bal Thackeray during his funeral procession in Mumbai

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Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray was laid to rest with full state honours on Sunday at Central Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, where he launched the party 46 years ago at a massive rally on Dussehra. As part of the state funeral for him, the city police conducted a 21-gun salute.

Thackeray’s son and Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray performed the last rites. Thackeray's estranged nephew and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray accompanied Uddhav during the rituals. The mortal remains of Bal Thackeray, a Hindutva mascot and flagbearer of Marathi pride, were consigned to flames as hundreds of thousands of mourners joined the Sena founder's grieving family to bid him a tearful farewell.

Thackeray died yesterday afternoon after a prolonged illness, at the age of 86. The funeral procession left his Bandra home, ‘Matoshree’, with the body carried on a flower bedecked truck. It took a little over four hours to reach the Shiv Sena Bhavan. Later, Thackeray’s body was brought to Shivaji Park, where family members, political and social leaders and representatives of the business and film industry paid homage to Thackeray.

Among those who reached Shivaji Park were state Governor K Sankaranarayanan, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, Union minister Sharad Pawar, Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari, senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, Nationalist Congress Party leader Chhagan Bhujbal, BJP Mahila Morcha head, Smritii Irani, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussein, Congress leader Rajeev Shukla, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, industrialist Anil Ambani, BJP MP Maneka Gandhi and film maker Madhur Bhandarkar.

A bandh-like situation prevailed in many parts of the city, Navi Mumbai, Thane and several towns in Maharashtra. Markets were shut and taxis and autos off the streets. The authorities had advised Mumbaikars to take to the roads only in case of an emergency. No toll was charged at the Worli-Bandra sea link and other connecting roads in Mumbai during the day.

No untoward incident was reported. There was a three-tier security around the funeral procession and the final resting sit. About 20,000 police personnel made up the first layer, the Rapid Action Force the second one and Shiv Sena volunteers made up the third.

TheSena has not given any offical call for a bandh tomorrow. However, Federation of Associations of Maharashtra and the Mumbai Bullion Association have asked their constituents to down shutters to pay homage to the Sena chief.

The public cremation of Thackeray is a first for Mumbai. A sea of humanity poured out on all roads leading to Shivaji Park, where the funeral procession reached seven hours after it started from Matoshree, seven km away. Aa sea of humanity, unprecedented in recent memory, descended on the streets leading from Matoshree to Shivaji Park, to catch a last glimpse of the uncrowned king of Mumbai.

Loud roars of Parat ya parat ya Balasaheb parat ya (Come back, come back, Balasaheb, come back), Kon ala re, kon ala, Shiv Senecha wagh ala (Who has come, who has come, Shiv Sena's tiger has come) and Balasaheb amar rahe (Long live Balasaheb) rent the air as an emotional Uddhav, youngest son of the departed leader and the Sena's executive president, lit the pyre. Minutes before the pyre was lit, nephew Raj broke down, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Mumbai was shut as markets were closed and taxis and autos went off the streets. The authorities had advised Mumbaikars to take to the roads only in the case of an emergency. No tolls were charged at Worli-Bandra sea link and other connecting roads in the city throughout the day. However, no untoward incident was reported during the day.

The city is likely to be shut on Monday, too, as the Federation of Associations of Maharashtra and Mumbai Bullion Association have asked their constituents to down shutters to pay homage to Shiv Sena chief. However, Shiv Sena has not called for a bandh.