Silchar, Aug. 3: Former Union minister and veteran Congress leader Santosh Mohan Dev, who passed away here yesterday after a prolonged illness, was cremated this afternoon with full state honours.
People from all walks of life joined the final journey as Dev's cortege passed through the streets of Silchar to the cremation ground.
Earlier, the octogenarian leader's body was kept at his residence here where political leaders and members of different clubs and organisations paid their last respects.
The funeral procession started around 9.40am with Dev's body placed in a glass coffin on a truck pasted with photographs of the leader.
Congress leaders and workers, accompanied by local residents, followed the cortege as it travelled to different localities in the town where people paid tribute.
The procession reached Satindra Mohan Dev Stadium around 1pm, where political leaders, district administration officials and members of different clubs and organisations paid tributes to the departed leader.
Slogans of "Rana da amar rahe" reverberated across the stadium as people bade goodbye to the Congress veteran.
Kaliabor MP Gaurav Gogoi, former ministers Rakibul Hussain, Pradyut Bordoloi, Ajit Singh and Gautam Roy, Algapur MLA Nizam Uddin Choudhury and former legislators Ataur Rahman Mazarbhuiya, Rahul Roy and Rumi Nath, among others, were present.
The procession reached the cremation ground around 3.30pm where Dev's body was placed on a bed of flowers and garlands. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reached the cremation ground around 3.48pm and paid his respects. He refrained from speaking to the media and left around 4.15pm.
The last rites were performed by Dev's four daughters - Silchar MP Sushmita Dev, Bharati Dubey, Tapati Rathi and Saswati Dali. Dev's widow Bithika Dev, sons-in-law Karan Dubey, Jatin Rathi and Danio Dali and grandchildren Shreya, Karishma and Riya were present. He was cremated around 3.56pm.
Son of Congress leader Satindra Mohan, Dev, pushed for development of Barak Valley, especially in sports, power and broad-gauge train connectivity. Party insiders said he continued to wield "enough" clout in this valley and in Tripura (which he also represented in Parliament) because of his "generous and helpful nature". Barak Valley remained the "heart and soul" of his politics. He was the main architect of the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti alliance that came to power in Tripura in 1988.
"Dev was tasked by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to deliver in Tripura and he did it successfully. He conducted an excellent campaign for the alliance. People looked up to him for his leadership and helpful nature. It's a big loss for us," a Congress insider said.
