Calcutta, March 23 :    Calcutta, March 23:  Having risen through the ranks to prove he was by far East Bengal's most prominent official, Dipak 'Paltu' Das showed in death that he had transcended even those boundaries. Barriers came down as ministers, top sports officials, footballers, cricketers, hockey players joined thousands to pay their last respects on his last journey - which began at his home on Sitaram Ghosh Street, meandered through the Maidan and ended at the Nimtala Ghat crematorium. The local people had erected a podium from where the journey began. The casket was laid on it. Sailen Manna, Chuni Goswami, Gurbux Singh, Shyam Thapa, Byomkesh Bose, Sukumar Samajpati, Parimal Dey, Syed Nayeemuddin, Krishanu Dey, Krisnendu Roy, Prasanta Banerjee, Sisir Ghosh, Tarun Dey, Syed Saba Karim, Subroto Banerjee... The list of former players was long. Of course, there was the present lot with coach Manoranjan Bhattacharya. Ministers Kshiti Goswami and Subhas Chakraborty were there. As was mayor Subrata Mukherjee and Congress leader Somen Mitra. At the CAB, its president Jagmohan Dalmiya and joint-secretary Debdas Banerjee placed a wreath on behalf of the association. At the IFA, Ranjit Gupta did the same as did Gurbux at the BHA. When the hearse reached Mohun Bagan, secretary Anjan Mitra, coach Subrata Bhattacharya were around to bid goodbye. But the crowd really gathered once the casket came to the East Bengal tent, and was laid in the 'hall'. It was Paltu'da's last visit to a place you would always find him, day after day. BHA matches put off BHA postponed its league matches today as a mark of respect to Das.