Pranab Mukherjee passes away: ‘His presence was a support to family’, says son Abhijit

The veteran Congress leader, who died at the age of 84 on Monday, was cremated with full state honours on Tuesday. Abhijit Mukherjee performed his last rites and the family and relatives paid their last respects clad in PPE kits.

Bidding an emotional goodbye to his father and former president Pranab Mukherjee, Abhijit Mukherjee said on Tuesday his presence was a support to their family.

Abhijit Mukherjee, son of late Pranab Mukherjee, performs rituals during the cremation of the former president, at Lodhi Road cremation ground in New Delhi, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. (PTI)

“His presence was a support for our family, we’ll miss him. I had plans to take him to West Bengal but due to current restrictions we couldn’t do so,” Abhijit Mukherjee was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The veteran Congress leader, who died at the age of 84 on Monday, was cremated with full state honours on Tuesday. Abhijit Mukherjee performed his last rites and the family and relatives paid their last respects clad in PPE kits.

Mukherjee died following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments. He was admitted to the hospital on August 10 and was operated the same day for removal of a clot in the brain. He had also tested positive for the coronavirus disease at the time of his admission. Mukherjee, India’s 13th president from 2012 to 2017, later developed a lung infection.