Vajpayee's ashes immersed in Ganga at Haridwar

The ashes of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee immersed in Ganga river at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar on Sunday.

Vajpayee's daughter Namita Bhattacharya and granddaughter Niharika had earlier collected three urns of the ashes from Smriti Sthal in New Delhi. The ashes were taken by road to Prem Ashram before it arrived in Har-ki-Pauri for immersion.

Earlier in the day, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took part in 'Asthi Kalash Yatra' of Vajpayee.

After Haridwar, the former prime minister's ashes will also be immersed in all the holy rivers of Uttar Pradesh, including Ganga, Yamuna and Tapti, to respect his grand stature.

Adityanath had earlier said that Uttar Pradesh is the late BJP stalwart's workplace and by immersing his ashes in all the rivers across the state, people will get a chance to be a part of his last rites.

Vajpayee, the 10th prime minister of India, breathed his last on Thursday evening. He was cremated on Friday with full state honour at Smriti Sthal in the national capital.

The former prime minister, whose ancestral home is at Bateshwar in Agra, died at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) following a prolonged illness. He was 93.