Kolkata: The mortal remains of late West Bengal minister Subrata Mukherjee, who passed away at a city hospital on Thursday evening, was taken to Rabindra Sadan earlier in the day for public viewing before the cremation on Friday.
West Bengal Panchayat Minister and former Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation died at a city hospital on Thursday evening.
According to reports, several people including his supporters, politicians arrived at Rabindra Sadan to see their favourite leader for one last time. Mukherjee was cremated with full state honours in Kolkata this evening, with political leaders cutting across party lines paying their last respect to him
After this, Mukherjee's mortal remains were brought to Bengal Legislative Assembly and then to his residence at Ekdalia Park after which the 67-year-old veteran leader was cremated at Keoratala in south Kolkata.
The panchayat minister was given the gun salute at the Keoratola crematorium in the southern part of the city.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikary and other MLAs paid their last respect to Mukherjee at the assembly when Mukherjee's mortal remains were taken there.
"His mortal remains arrived today at the Legislative Assembly and 4 MLAs & MP on behalf of the BJP Legislative Party paid their respects. He had good relations with every politician of Bengal, irrespective of their parties," BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said.
Mukherjee was admitted to the SSKM Hospital with some heart ailments and a stent was placed but his condition started to deteriorate and he was shifted to ICCU in Woodburn Ward due to shortness of breath a couple of days before.
Even West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed grief on the demise of Mukherjee.
"We have lost a stalwart. He tried to change the landscape of Kolkata. Wherever he went he only made friends. I pray to the Almighty to bestow eternal peace to the departed soul," Dhankar said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had described the demise of former Kolkata mayor as a "big personal loss", was not seen during the cremation ceremony, but her nephew and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee paid floral tribute to Mukherjee at the crematorium after which the last rites were performed.
According to reports, senior Trinamool Congress leaders Firhad Hakim and Arup Biswas, the Congress' Abdul Mannan and Pradip Bhattacharya, as well as Dilip Ghosh and Rahul Sinha of the BJP paid tributes to Mukherjee.