The last rites of Uttarakhand finance minister Prakash Pant were performed with full state honours at the Rameshwar Ghat in Pithoragarh on Saturday. Scores of people and politicians including Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Mauriya and other state BJP leaders paid their last respects to the departed leader.
Fifty-eight-year-old Prakash Pant was diagnosed with cancer and died during treatment in Texas (USA) on 5 June. Famous for his soft and friendly nature, Pant was elected from the Pithoragarh assembly seat thrice- in 2002, 2007 and 2017. Hailing from a middle-class family, Prakash Pant completed his graduation in pharmacy and used to operate a chemist shop in Pithoragarh.
The mortal remains of Prakash Pant were brought on a special aircraft from the US to New Delhi. They were taken to Dehradun on an air ambulance where they were kept for public viewing for a brief period at the SDRF building near the airport.
The body of Pant was taken to Pithoragarh on the air ambulance and it was placed at Dev Singh ground in Pithoragarh for the public to pay homage to their leader. Hundreds of people participated in the last journey of their beloved leader.