Nitish Kumar (folded hands) with his cabinet colleagues at Digha Ghat on Sunday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Jan. 2: The mortal remains of Parmeshwari Devi, mother of chief minister Nitish Kumar, was cremated today here at Digha Ghat near ITI amid chanting of Parmeshwari Mata amar rahe and Vedic mantras.

Nitish Kumar, along with his family members, including elder brother Satish Kumar, son Nishant Kumar, cabinet members and top bureaucrats, was present at the site.

At around 11am, Nitish and Satish lit the funeral pyre amid chanting of Vedic mantras by five priests, who had come for performing the last rites.

Nishant Kumar was also seen at the site helping light up the funeral pyre.

Parmeshwari Devi, 92, passed away on Saturday at 1pm at the chief minister’s official residence at 1 Aney Marg when the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues were celebrating the new year.

The chief minister was accepting greetings and bouquets from people, who had gathered at the chief minister’s residence on Saturday wishing him New Year.

Today at 6am, the body of Parmeshwari Devi was taken to Bakhtiarpur from chief minister’s house so that residents of Nitish Kumar’s native village Kalyanbigha could pay their last respects.

At around 10am, the body was brought to Digha Ghat were her last rite was performed.

Sources said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, too, called up Nitish and expressed grief over the death of Parmeshwari Devi.

Despite cold wave prevailing in the state capital, people waited outside their house, on the way through which the body was being taken to Digha Ghat.

Meanwhile, there was strict security arrangement on the way through which the truck carrying the body was scheduled to pass.

People, including women and children, who are mainly residents of Patna and also those who had come from the CM’s native village Kalyanbigha gathered in thousands to pay their last respects.

Manohar Paswan, a resident, who had come to witness the funeral, said: “The road stretching near the ghat from Digha main road was prepared by the district administration and Patna Municipal Corporation. Sand was laid after there were reports that last rites of Parmeshwari Devi would be performed at Digha Ghat.”

The entire cabinet of chief minister Nitish Kumar, including deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, P.K. Shahi, Shyam Rajak, Vijendra Yadav, Prem Kumar, Renu Kushwaha and others, were present at the funeral.

RJD state president Ramchandra Purvey, RJD general secretary Ramkripal Yadav and state Congress leaders were also present at the site expressing condolences to the chief minister and his family members.

JD (U) legislator from Tamar Assembly constituency from Jharkhand Raja Peter and other JD (U) leaders from the neighbouring state were also present at the funeral.

Earlier, Parmeshwari Devi was admitted at a hospital for about a month in December and was brought to 1 Aney Marg only a week earlier.

She was admitted to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Cardiology on the eve of Nitish Kumar’s swearing-in on November 26.

The chief minister had visited her everyday and even cancelled his proposed visit to Delhi to accept the Indian of the Year award and meet the Prime Minister.