Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Last Rites To Be Held Today. Details Here

Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's body is kept at his residence for people to come and pay homage

Former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was admitted to AIIMS with a kidney tract infection and chest congestion on June 11, died on Thursday evening shortly after 5 pm. He was 93 years old. His death was confirmed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Mr Vajpayee, a three-time prime minister, had retired from public life after his health turned frail. A seven-day national mourning had been announced by the central government as a mark of respect to the former prime minister. During this period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast throughout India. Mr Vajpayee will be accorded a state funeral, which will held in Delhi today.

A statement by AIIMS had said that Mr Vajpayee's health had been deteriorating over the last 36 hours and he was put on life support systems. "Despite the best of efforts, we have lost him today," it said. Schools, colleges and government offices have been closed today.

Here are the details of former prime minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee's funeral and last rites:

Q) When, what time and where will Atal Bihari Vajpayee's funeral be held?

A) The last rites of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will take place at 4 pm today at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal in Delhi, BJP chief Amit Shah said on Thursday.

Q) What time and where can people pay homage to Atal Bihari Vajpayee before his funeral?

A) Atal Bihari Vajpayee's body has been kept at his official residence - 6A Krishna Menon Marg. People can pay homage to the departed leader at his residence between 7:30 am and 8:30 am today. His body would then be taken to the BJP headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg at around 9 am.

Q) What time will the funeral procession leave the BJP headquarters?

A) The funeral procession would leave the BJP headquarters at 1 pm and the last rites would be performed at 4 pm.

Q) What is Smriti Sthal and where is it located?

A) Smriti Sthal is a common memorial site that was proposed after concerns over shrinking land resources in Delhi. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's last rites would be performed on an elevated platform which is surrounded by greenery. Smriti Sthal is located between Jawaharlal Nehru's memorial 'Shanti Van' and Lal Bahadur Shastri's 'Vijay Ghat'. Former prime minister IK Gujral was also cremated at Smriti Sthal on the banks of river Yamuna in December 2012.

Q) What route (map) will be taken from Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence (6A Krishna Menon Marg) to the BJP Headquarters?

A) Here is a map of the route that will be followed from Mr Vajpayee's residence to the BJP headquarters:

Q) What route (map) will be taken from the BJP Headquarters to the site of the funeral - Smriti Sthal (near Shanti Van) in Delhi?

A) Here is a map of the route that will be followed from the BJP headquarters to the site of the funeral - Smriti Sthal: