THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The embalmed body of Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan, who died in Bengaluru on Saturday morning, was flown in here around 5.45 pm in a special aircraft. The mortal remains were laid in state at ‘Neethi,’ the official residence of the Speaker on the Assembly Complex.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who rushed back to the capital city from Kochi on hearing the news, convened a meeting of available Ministers and top officials in the evening to finalise the arrangements for bidding adieu to the leader in a befitting manner. A half-day holiday for all government institutions was also declared. The state will also observe a seven-day mourning. As per plans the body will be brought to the Members’ Lounge in the Assembly at 9 am on Sunday. By 10 am the body will be taken to the KPCC office for party workers to pay their homage. At 11 am, the body will be taken to the Secretariat Durbar Hall.By 12 noon, the body will be taken to his constituency - Aruvikkara - and will be kept at Aryanad Higher Secondary School for the public to pay homage.
It will be taken to his house at Sasthamangalam by 4 pm where the state honours will be paid. At 6 pm, the body will be taken to Shanti Kavadam at Thycadu where the funeral will be conductd at 6.30 pm. On confirmation of the demise of Karthikeyan in the morning, the UDF and Congress camps were shaken. IndustriesMinister P K Kunhalikutty and Social Justice Minister M K Muneer took a flight toBengaluru from Karipur and reached the Health Care Global (HCG) Hospital in the morning itself.Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC vice-president V D Satheesan, Benny Behanan MLA and K Sudhakaran ex-MP, reached Bengaluru in a chartered flight from Kochi by noon.