Ex-Uttarakhand CM Khanduri's mortal remains cremated with state honours

Senior BJP leader and former Uttarakhand chief minister Major General (Retd) Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri was cremated with full state honours at the Khadkhadi crematorium in Haridwar on Wednesday.

His son Manish lit the funeral pyre in the presence of senior leaders and hundreds of mourners.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and several senior BJP leaders attended the last rites of the veteran leader, who died in Dehradun on Tuesday at the age of 91 after a prolonged illness.

Earlier, Khanduri's mortal remains were taken to the BJP headquarters in Dehradun, where leaders, party workers and supporters paid floral tributes.

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, Uttarakhand Governor Gurmit Singh and Dhami also paid tributes at Khanduri's residence and met members of the bereaved family.

The Uttarakhand government declared Wednesday a public holiday and announced three days of state mourning from May 19 to 21.

Before joining politics, Khanduri, known for his disciplined leadership style and clean image, served in the Indian Army and retired with the rank of Major General and was popularly known as 'General saheb'.

He served as the chief minister of Uttarakhand twice between 2007 and 2012.

He was also a minister in the NDA government led by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

As Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, he initiated the Golden Quadrilateral highway project.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)