JHARSUGUDA: The mortal remains of Odisha minister Naba Kishore Das were on Monday consigned to flames with full state honours here in the presence of thousands of people, who bade a tearful adieu to the departed leader.
Amid chants of 'slokas', his son Bishal Das lit the funeral pyre, as a large gathering of MPs, MLAs and industrialists paid tributes to the popular BJD minister.
The last rites were held at the Kherual Crematorium. The Odisha government has also announced a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect to Das.
Das breathed his last on Sunday evening, hours after he was shot by an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) at Brajarajnagar, where he had gone to attend an event. The ASI is believed to be suffering from a mental disorder.
Among those present at the funeral were Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari, Agriculture Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain, MLA Dibya Shankar Mishra, Bargarh MP Suresh Pujari and industrialsts from Jharsuguda.
Earlier in the day, thousands paid homage to Das, as his mortal remains reached here from Bhubaneswar.
Many shops, business establishments and educational institutions in the district remained closed on Monday, with locals pouring out on the streets to shower flowers on the hearse carrying the departed leader's remains, which drove through the streets of Jharsuguda town on its way to his home Governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited the leader's residence, where people from different walks of life had also gathered to pay tribute to the 60-year-old leader, who dominated the political landscape in western Odisha for at least three decades.