KANNUR: Thousands of people offered final tributes to the son of the soil IUML leader E Ahamed, whose mortal remains were laid to rest at the graveyard of City Juma Masjid here on Thursday.
Ahmed’s body, which had been brought to his house, Sithara, near Thana in the city on Wednesday night, was kept at the Kannur Corporation Ground and Dheenul Islam Sabha Higher Secondary School ground from 8 am to 11.30 am on Thursday for the public to pay their last respects.
IUML state president Panakkad Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal led the final prayers. Friends, relatives, party workers and others from all walks of life gathered for the funeral. People had come even from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Puducherry.
Port Minister Ramachandran Kadannappally represented the state government, while leaders including KPCC president V M Sudheeran, AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, IUML national treasurer P K Kunhalikutty, general secretary K P A Majeed, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, BJP leaders P K Krishnadas and C K Padmanabhan, Kerala Congress (M) chairman K M Mani, Abdussamad Samadani, MPs M I Shanavas and P K Sreemathi and MLAs K M Shaji, K C Joseph, Sunny Joseph, P K Abdu Rabb and Ibrahim Kunhu were among those present.
The hartal called by all political parties in Kannur district and Mahe as a mark of respect to Ahmed was total. All shops and business establishments remained closed. Schools in Kannur city had declared a holiday. Though transport services were exempted, few buses were on road.