Ahmedabad: The Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad Monday released the body of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was killed in the deadly Air India plane crash last week.
His son, Rushabh Rupani, reached the hospital’s mortuary complex at 11:17 am to receive the body.
After all the necessary protocol, Rushabh received the body at around 11:30 am. His family, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and senior Ahmedabad administration officials were also present at the hospital.
The former chief minister’s body was covered with the Tiranga and given a guard of honour by the Gujarat Police outside the mortuary complex.
BJP state unit workers escorted the body to Ahmedabad airport, from where it was being taken to Rajkot, where his last rites will be conducted.
According to the schedule, Vijay Rupani’s body was expected to reach Rajkot around 2:30 pm and reach his residence at 4 pm.
His body will be kept in state for an hour, and then between 5 and 6 pm, the final rites will be performed at Ramnath Para crematorium.
On Sunday, Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel confirmed that Vijay Rupani’s body had been identified after a DNA match at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.
The chief minister was on AI 171 going from Ahmedabad to London, carrying 242 passengers and crew members. The flight crashed one minute after taking off, landing on the B.J. Medical College hostel, 2 km from the airport. All the people on board, except one passenger, a British national, were killed. The plane’s black box was found Friday, and it is being decoded in the hopes of deconstructing what led to the crash.
So far, 270 bodies—from the plane and the hostel—have been recovered. DNA testing is being carried out at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to identify the victims.
A day after the incident. PM Narendra Modi visited Ahmedabad and met Vijay Rupani’s family.
On Monday, speaking to the media at his residence in Ahmedabad, Rushabh said, “This is a sad time not just for our family but also for the other 270 families. I thank the Police, Aarogya staff, Civil Defence, Fire Services and RSS workers for their rescue efforts during this incident, which are praiseworthy. I also express gratitude to PM [Narendra] Modi, CM Bhupendra Patel and other leaders for supporting and standing with not just our family, but also all other families.
My father touched many lives during the 50-55 years of his political life. Today, all those people are standing by us. Many party workers from Punjab are also coming here to express their condolences.”
The Gujarat government declared a one-day state mourning on 16 June.
Several posters of the former CM were seen across Ahmedabad and Rajkot, including at the Civil Hospital. One poster talked about Vijay Rupani’s polite behaviour and traced his political journey from the party level to the CM.
Rupani steered the BJP through challenging times in Gujarat, including the Patidar quota agitation. In 2016, he was picked to replace BJP chief minister Anandiben Patel, who was seen taking tough measures against the agitators.
The next year, Rupani steered the BJP to victory in the assembly polls, overcoming the headwind caused by the Patidar agitation and a resurgent Congress, ThePrint earlier reported.
While the BJP won 99 of the 182 seats, its lowest tally in the state since it came to power, it was enough for a majority. Rupani was picked as the chief minister again.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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