Capital city in tears, mortal remains of Oommen Chandy brought to Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The body of former chief minister Oommen Chandy, who died Tuesday early morning, has been brought to the capital city. The chartered flight carrying the mortal remains of the leader from Bengaluru reached Thiruvananthapuram at 2.30 pm. Many including senior congress leaders were in the airport to receive the body. The body was taken to his residence Puthupally House in the capital city accompanied by a huge crowd.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that after the public homage at Puthupally house, the body will be taken to the Durbar Hall in Secretariat at 4 pm today. From there, the body will be taken to St George Orthodox Cathedral, the church he used to visit when he was in the capital city. The body will be taken to Indira Bhavan, the headquarters of KPCC, at 6 pm. V D Satheesan said the body will be taken to his residence in Thiruvananthapuram at night.

Leaders including opposition leader V D Satheesan had arrived at the airport to receive Oommen Chandy's family. People were on the pathway to see Chandy. Many were in tears. Congress workers from different parts of Kerala had reached the capital early in the morning. Many people shared their memories of Oommen Chandy. After knowing that the body will be brought to Puthupally House first, activists and leaders flocked there. Former KPCC president V M Sudheeran and A K Antony reached the residence even before the body was brought.

The body was brought to Thiruvananthapuram after the public homage at former minister T John's residence in Bengaluru. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others paid their last respects.

The body will be taken in a procession to Puthuppally tomorrow morning at 7 am. After public homage at Tirunakkara Maidanam, it will be taken to Puthupally by night. The funeral services will be held at Puthupally church on Thursday afternoon at 2 pm.

Chandy, who was undergoing treatment for cancer, died at 4.25 am Tuesday morning. He died at the Chinmaya Hospital in Bengaluru. A public holiday and two days of mourning have been declared in the state as a mark of respect to Chandy.