Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mourned the death of BJP leader Devender Singh Rana, who passed away at a hospital in Faridabad due to a prolonged illness.

Rana was a veteran political leader and the voice of Jammu region’s Dogra community. He was 59. He was also the younger brother of Union minister Jitendra Singh.

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Rana was a committed leader and was a pillar of the National Conference for decades before he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2021. He won the recent Assembly election from the Nagrota seat with the highest margin of votes in J&K. Earlier in 2014, he won the seat as a candidate of National Conference. He was political adviser with the status of a minister to the then chief minister Omar Abdullah.

The news of his death came as a shock and a large number of people gathered at his residence here. His body will reach here this afternoon for cremation. Rana is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

Expressing grief on his death, Modi wrote on X, “Devender Singh Rana Ji’s untimely demise is shocking. He was a veteran leader, who worked diligently towards Jammu and Kashmir’s progress. He had just won the Assembly polls and had also played a noteworthy role in making the BJP stronger in J&K. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with his family and supporters.”

Home Minister Amit Shah said, “Devender Rana ji, who was always dedicated to the peace and development of Jammu and Kashmir and the interests of the people, made an invaluable contribution to the progress of the region. His demise is an irreparable loss for the BJP family”.

BJP President and Health Minister, JP Nadda said; “His dedication to public service and contributions towards the development of the people of Jammu & Kashmir will be remembered. His departure is an irreparable loss to the party”.

Grieving the death of his younger brother Rana, Dr. Jitendra Singh wrote on X; “Untimely demise of my brother Sh Devender Singh Rana is a deep personal loss, which is not only irreparable but painful and the void created will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life .I sincerely thank all those standing by me and the family in these testing times”.

Former Governor NN Vohra also mourned the death of Rana and described him as a man of the masses.

Lt. Governor of J&K, Manoj Sinha said; “In his passing away, we have lost a patriotic & widely respected leader, who was committed to the well-being of the people of J&K”.

Although Rana quitting the National Conference had come as a shock for the Abdullahs, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared a heartfelt tribute to his late friend Rana.

Omar wrote on X and also posted three pictures with Rana; “The terrible news from late last night isn’t really sinking in. I know the last few years have been marked by our differences Devender but I prefer to focus on the fun times we shared together, the excellent work we did together & the memories. You have been taken from us all too soon & will be missed. May your soul rest in peace now DSR. My heart goes out to your family as I struggle to find the words to convey my condolences to them”.

Former CM and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti was among those who mourned Rana’s death.