Despite hundreds of people lining up along the road to have a last look, the hearse carrying the lifeless remains of former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, who passed away two days ago, has not yet arrived at his birthplace here almost 24 hours after setting off from Thiruvananthapuram.
The bus transporting his remains encountered vast crowds of people who had come along the road to pay their last respects and wish him goodbye while still awake. As a result, the vehicle could only move slowly.
Chandy spent a significant portion of his life in the state capital throughout his decades-long political career as a lawmaker, head of the Congress party, and chief minister. His last trip began on Wednesday morning at 7.20 am from there.
The bus had to be halted for more than an hour at a number of locations across the four districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, and Alappuzha where Chandy’s remains traveled on their way to his stronghold of Kottayam.
Because of this, Chandy’s last voyage, which was around 150 kilometers long and usually took three to four hours to complete, took more than 24 hours to accomplish.
While many others, including political leaders from various parties, waited all night at the Thirunakkara Ground in Kottayam, thousands, including children of all ages, waited on the roadside of the route taken by the specially modified low-floor bus covered in garlands and pictures of Chandy without sleep.
In Puthuppally, where residents and those who wished to pay respect to Chandy had gathered in huge numbers since Wednesday morning, a similar vigil was also visible outside his house.
His remains will next be transported to his Puthuppally house where they would be interred next to deceased priests from his local church, ending an era in Kerala politics after mourners paid their last respects to him at Thirunakkara Ground.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, will travel to Chandy’s burial, the AICC general secretary K C Venugopal tweeted.
In line with the late Congress leader’s request, there will be no state honors during the funeral.
Chandy, who twice held the position of chief minister of Kerala, passed away early on Tuesday at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He passed away while receiving cancer treatment, according to party sources. He was 79.
