Death and state funeral of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Last updated

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the fifth President of India, died in office of heart failure on 11 February 1977, aged 71.

Contents

Background and death

On 6 February 1977, Ahmed left India for state visits to Malaysia, the Philippines and Burma. On 6 February, he arrived in Kuala Lumpur, but after two days of engagements felt fatigued and was examined by his physician, following which he cancelled his engagements and the remainder of the trip. [1] He returned to Delhi on 10 February, and the following morning at 6:00 suffered a heart attack in his bathroom at Rashtrapati Bhavan, being declared dead at 8:52. [1]

Funeral

Ahmed's body lay in state at Rashtrapati Bhavan until 10:00 on 13 February, after which it was taken to the Mughal Gardens adjoining the presidential residence for the Salat al-Janazah . After the prayer, Ahmed's body returned to Rashtrapati Bhavan until 14:15 when it was placed on a ceremonial gun carriage and taken in procession to the gravesite at the Jama Masjid. [2] The funeral procession of vehicles, including acting President B. D. Jatti, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, military units and foreign dignitaries, moved along Rajpath, Janpath, Connaught Place and Parliament Street before reaching Patel Chowk, with large numbers of mourners watching. [1] From Patel Chowk, the procession continued along Ashoka Marg, Pt. Pant Marg and Talkatora Marg to the Parliament House complex. There, the acting President and the principal mourners left their vehicles to walk with the gun carriage past Transport Bhavan to the burial site. [2]

Carried by military pallbearers and accompanied by the three armed service chiefs, [2] Ahmed's body was carried to its gravesite and lowered into the grave with full state honours at around 16:30, accompanied by the Fatiha. [1] The principal mourners and representatives of Islamic nations joined in throwing earth onto Ahmed's coffin as it was lowered into the grave. [2] The funeral service concluded at 17:15, after a 21-gun salute was fired and the Last Post and Rouse were sounded. [2] [1]

Dignitaries

26 countries sent representatives to Ahmed's state funeral: [3]

Governmental representatives

CountryDignitary
Flag of Nepal.svg  Nepal Tulsi Giri (Prime Minister) [3]
Flag of the Uzbek SSR.svg  Uzbek SSR/Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union Nazar Matkarimovich Matchonov (Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR) [3]
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union Mikhail Porfir'yevich Georgadze (Secretary of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union) [3]
Nikolay Firyubin (Deputy Foreign Minister) [3]
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka T. B. Ilangaratne (Minister of Trade, Public Administration and Home Affairs) [3]
Flag of Afghanistan (1974-1978).svg  Afghanistan Muhammad Naim (Special Envoy) [3]
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam Phan Hien (Deputy Foreign Minister) [3]
Flag of Bahrain.svg  Bahrain Walid al-Dekhi Dir (Deputy Prime Minister's Office) [3]
Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan Princess Sonam Chhoden Wangchuck [3]
Lyonpo Chhogyal (Finance Minister of Bhutan) [3]
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Habibullah Khan Marwat (Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan) [3]
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan M. Okuda (Deputy Parliamentary Minister of Foreign Affairs) [3]
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia Mohamed Yaacob (Minister of Public Enterprises) [3]
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh M. A. Rashid (Minister of Public Works and Urban Development) [3]
Flag of Myanmar (1974-2010).svg  Burma U Hla Pona (Foreign Minister) [3]
Flag of East Germany.svg  East Germany Horst Sindermann (President of the People's Chamber) [3]
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones (Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain) [3]
State flag of Iran (1964-1980).svg  Iran Jafar Sharif-Emami (President of the Senate of Iran) [3]
Abbas Ali Khalatbari (Minister of Foreign Affairs) [3]
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea Pak Tongjin (Foreign Minister) [3]
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Yugoslavia Cvijetin Mijatović (Member of the Presidency of Yugoslavia) [3]
Flag of Bulgaria (1971-1990).svg  Bulgaria Petur Tanchev (First Deputy Chairman of the State Council of Bulgaria) [3]
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Adolph Dubs (Deputy Assistant Secretary of State) [3]
Charles H. Percy (Senator from Illinois) [3]
John Joseph Cavanaugh III (Congressman from the 2nd Congressional District of Nebraska) [3]
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia Karol Laco (Deputy Prime Minister) [3]
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt Aby Baker Ridwan (Deputy Prime Minister) [3]
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Gabor Borbely (Member, Presidential Council) [3]
Flag of Romania (1965-1989).svg  Romania Ștefan Péterfi (Vice President of the State Council of Romania) [3]
Flag of Syria.svg  Syria Jamil Shayya (Deputy Prime Minister) [3]
Flag of Oman.svg  Oman Qais al-Zawawi (Minister of State, Foreign Affairs) [3]
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia Adam Malik (Minister of Foreign Affairs) [3]

Personal representatives

FlagDignitary
Royal Standard of Prince Michael of Kent.svg Prince Michael of Kent (representing Queen Elizabeth II) [3]
Flag of the United States.svg  United States Lillian Carter (mother of President Jimmy Carter) [3]
James Earl "Chip" Carter (second son of President Jimmy Carter) [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zakir Husain</span> President of India from 1967 to 1969

Zakir Hussain Khan was an Indian educationist and politician who served as the third president of India from 13 May 1967 until his death on 3 May 1969.

The Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. It is located close to the Old Delhi Railway Station. The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. It was built in the 17th century by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, and designed by his daughter, Jahanara. The market was once divided by canals to reflect moonlight. It remains one of India's largest wholesale markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashtrapati Bhavan</span> Official residence of the President of India

The Rashtrapati Bhavan is the official residence of the President of India at the western end of Rajpath, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, India. It was formerly known as Viceroy's House and constructed during the zenith of British Empire. Rashtrapati Bhavan may refer to only the 340-room main building that has the president's official residence, including reception halls, guest rooms and offices, also called the mansion; it may also refer to the entire 130-hectare (320-acre) Presidential Estate that additionally includes the presidential gardens, large open spaces, residences of bodyguards and staff, stables, other offices and utilities within its perimeter walls. In terms of area, it is the second largest residence of any head of state in the world after Quirinal Palace in Italy. The other presidential homes are the Rashtrapati Nilayam in Hyderabad, Telangana and The Retreat Building in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed</span> President of India from 1974 to 1977

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the fifth president of India from 1974 to 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajpath</span> Boulevard in New Delhi stretching from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan

Rajpath, officially named Kartavya Path, and formerly known as Kingsway, is a ceremonial boulevard in New Delhi, India, that runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill through Vijay Chowk and India Gate, National War Memorial to National Stadium, Delhi. The avenue is lined on both sides by huge lawns, canals and rows of trees. Considered to be one of the most important roads in India, it is where the annual Republic Day parade takes place on 26 January. Janpath crosses the road. Rajpath runs in east-west direction. Roads from Connaught Place, the financial centre of Delhi, run into Rajpath from north. It was made during the Construction of New Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jama Masjid, Delhi</span> 17th Century Mosque in Delhi, India

Masjid-i-Jehan-Numa, commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raisina Hill</span> Area of New Delhi, India

Raisina Hill, often used as a metonym for the seat of the Government of India, is an area of New Delhi, housing India's most important government buildings, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India on a citadel and the Secretariat building, housing the Prime Minister's Office and several other important ministries. The hill is seen as an Indian acropolis with Rashtrapati Bhavan as the Parthenon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Delhi</span> Municipality in Delhi, India

Old Delhi is an area in the Central Delhi district of Delhi, India. It was founded as a walled city named Shahjahanabad in 1648, when Shah Jahan decided to shift the Mughal capital from Agra. The construction of the city was completed in 1648, and it remained the capital of Mughal India until its fall in 1857, when the British Empire took over as paramount power in the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic Day (India)</span> National day of India celebrating the adoption of its Constitution

Republic Day is a national holiday in India commemorating the adoption of the Constitution of India, and the country's transition to a republic which came into effect on 26 January 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Patel</span> Indian politician (1949–2020)

Ahmedbhai Muhammedbhai Patel, also known as Ahmed Patel, was an Indian politician and Member of Parliament from the Indian National Congress. He was the political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lutyens' Delhi</span> Area in New Delhi, Delhi, India

Lutyens' Delhi is an area in New Delhi, India, named after the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944), who was responsible for much of the architectural design and building during the period of the British Raj, when India was part of the British Empire in the 1920s and 1930s and 1940s. This also includes the Lutyens Bungalow Zone (LBZ).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jama Mosque, Jaunpur</span>

Jama Masjid or Jama Mosque or Jami Masjid or Badi Masjid, one of the largest Mosques in India, is a 15th-century mosque built by Hussain Shah Sharqi of the Jaunpur Sultanate in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is one of the chief tourist attractions in Jaunpur. The mosque is 2.2 km north-northeast of Jaunpur, 7.3 km northwest of Zafarābād, 16.8 km north-northeast of Mariāhū, 26.3 km west-northwest of Kirākat. It is 1 km from the Atala mosque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State funerals in the United Kingdom</span> For a monarch or approved by the monarch

In the United Kingdom, state funerals are usually reserved for monarchs. The most recent was the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Habib Rahman (architect)</span> Indian architect (1915–1995)

Habib Rahman was an Indian architect. Regarded as a pioneer of the Bahaus style of architecture in India, Rahman was known for combining Indian architectural elements into modernist designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jama Mosque, Ahmedabad</span> Mosque in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Jama Masjid, also known as Jumah Mosque or Jami' Masjid, is a mosque in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It and was built in 1424 during the reign of Ahmad Shah I. The inscription on the central mihrab commemorates the inauguration of the mosque on the 1st Safar A.H. 827 or January 4, 1424 A.D. by Sultan Ahmad Shah I. The mosque lies in the old walled city, and it is situated outside Bhadra Fort area. The old walled city is divided into separate quarters or pols, and the Jami' Masjid is found on the Gandhi Road. Along the south side of the road, the mosque is a short distance beyond the Teen Darwaza or Tripolia Gate.

<i>Persian Inscriptions on Indian Monuments</i> Book by Hekmat E Shirazi

Persian Inscriptions on Indian Monuments is a book written in Persian by Dr Ali Asghar Hekmat E Shirazi and published in 1956 and 1958 and 2013. New edition contains the Persian texts of more than 200 epigraphical inscriptions found on historical monuments in India, many of which are currently listed as national heritage sites or registered as UNESCO world heritage, published in Persian; an English edition is also being printed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoaib Iqbal</span> Indian politician

Shoaib Iqbal is an Indian politician and a member of Delhi Legislative Assembly. He is 6 times MLA from Matia Mahal.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, died in the afternoon of 27 May 1964, at the age of 74, of a heart attack.

On 10 April 2022, a clash between Hindus and Muslims occurred in the city of Khargone, Madhya Pradesh. It took place between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm, in the midst of a Ram Navami procession organised by a Hindu nationalist organisation allied to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). At 5:00 pm, when Muslims were gathering for evening prayers at the neighbouring Jama Masjid, the procession had not yet departed from the city's central Talab Chowk area.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Data India 1977 (6). Government of India. 1977. p. 83.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Arrangements for President's Funeral on Sunday: New Delhi Jama Masjid Final Resting Place" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 12 February 1977. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 "Arrivals of Special Delegations" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 13 February 1977. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.