Jammu: National Conference-turned-BJP leader and J&K MLA, Devender Singh Rana, who passed away after a prolonged illness at a Haryana hospital on Thursday, was cremated at Shastri Nagar Cremation Ground in Jammu on Friday.
On Friday afternoon, Rana's mortal remains were brought to his home located in Gandhi Nagar, Jammu, where thousands, including top party leaders and his brother union minister Dr Jitendra Singh, paid tribute to him. From there, the mortal remains were carried in a procession to the cremation ground in a vehicle decorated with flowers in the afternoon.
The air reverberated with chants of 'Davender Singh Rana Amar Rahay Amar Rahay', as surging crowds broke down barricades when the body of Rana was consigned to flames at Shastri Nagar Crematorium in Jammu.
The last rites were performed by his son, who lit the pyre in an emotionally charged atmosphere.
Politicians across the spectrum attended his funeral. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary on Friday visited the residence of Devender Singh Rana in Jammu.
On the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary regretted the untimely death of Rana and said that the whole Jammu is in mourning saying Rana was the voice of Jammu.
“J&K has lost its big leader, who especially was the voice of Jammu. We do not have words today to express our condolences for this leader with whom I had a very close relation," Choudhary said outside the residence of the late Davender Singh Rana.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah did not speak to the media on the occasion and left Rana's residence after paying his condolences.
A sea of people, including politicians, social activists, and common people followed the funeral procession from the Gandhi Nagar residence of Devender Singh Rana to the cremation ground.
Rana, who was the NC's provincial president for Jammu, joined the BJP along with another party leader Surjit Singh Salathia in October 2021.
The 59-year-old politician was recently elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly on the Nagrota Assembly seat in Jammu and Kashmir.
He is 59 survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.
Rana hails from Doda District and was settled in Gandhi Nagar, Jammu. He was the brother of senior BJP leader and Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
Party leaders and members across the country are expressing their condolences on his demise.
Rana, the founder of JamKash Vehicleades, had made headlines in the year 2021 when he ended his ties with the National Conference after spending two decades with the party and later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Rana, a businessman-turned-politician, recently won his Nagrota Assembly seat for a second term, securing the highest winning margin of 30,472 votes over his nearest National Conference (NC) rival, Joginder Singh. He had initially won this seat in the 2014 Assembly elections on an NC ticket.
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