Ex-PM Manmohan Singh's funeral to happen at Nigambodh Ghat on Saturday

The last rites of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be held at Nigambodh Ghat crematorium in Delhi on December 28 at 11:45 am with State honours, as confirmed by the Union Home Ministry. Singh, aged 92, passed away on Thursday night at AIIMS.

In an official communication, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) stated, "It has been decided by the Government that State funeral will be accorded to Dr. Manmohan Singh. The funeral will take place at 11:45 AM on 28th December, 2024 at Nigambodh Ghat, New Delhi."

 It said the Ministry of Defence has been requested to make arrangements for according Singh State funeral with full military honours.

This comes after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, earlier in the day wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to conduct the last rites of former PM Manmohan Singh at a place where a memorial can be built. He wrote the letter after speaking to Modi about setting up a memorial for Singh, who was a two-term prime minister revered by the people of the country. "Apropos our telephonic conversation today morning, wherein I made a request to hold Dr Manmohan Singh's last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the great son of India. "This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former Prime Ministers at the very place of their funerals," Kharge said in his two-page letter.

In light of the passing of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, both the Haryana and Punjab governments have announced seven days of state mourning.

The BJP-led Haryana government and the AAP-ruled Punjab government issued orders in accordance with the directives from the Union Home Ministry. The mourning period will last until January 1.

During this time, the national flag will be flown at half-mast, and no official entertainment events will take place.