Hundreds gather outside Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence to pay last respect

Hundreds of people queued up outside Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s residence at Krishna Menon Marg in Lutyens Delhi to pay their last respects to the departed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. The mortal remains of the former PM were kept at his 6-A Krishna Menon Marg bungalow for last respects. The gates of his residence were opened at 7:30 am for normal public to pay homage to Vajpayee.

Bharat Ratna Vajpayee breathed his last in Delhi’s AIIMS hospital on Thursday, following a prolonged illness. He was 93.

Heavy security arrangements were put in place outside his residence. Police, traffic and paramilitary personnel were deployed for the security.

Later in the day, Vajpayee’s mortal remains will be brought to the BJP headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg. His funeral procession will then leave for Rashtriya Smrthi Sthal and last rites will be held there at 4 pm.

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A 52-year-old man, Yogesh Kumar, covered a distance of around 500-km overnight to reach the national capital from Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand to have one last glimpse of Vajpayee.

“I had met Vajpayee ji in 1984 when he had visited Uttarkashi en route to Gangotri. He visited the town once again in 1986,” Kumar claimed, as he displayed a picture of the Vajpayee with him.

“I have also brought along the Gangajal from Gangotri,” he said, hoping to find an opportunity to see him.

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Another man, in his early 20s, said he had come all the way from Bihar to pay homage to the former prime minister. “I believe we have lost a great leader in him,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)