By IANS
New Delhi : Former prime minister Chandra Shekhar will be accorded a state funeral Monday with his cremation slated to take place near Rajghat next to the memorials to former presidents Zail Singh, Shankar Dayal Sharma and K.R. Narayanan on the banks of the river Yamuna.
Chandra Shekhar, 80, died Sunday morning at the Apollo Hospital after a prolonged battle with cancer.
After an emergency cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said there will be a week-long state mourning for the departed leader and said the funeral will take place at 4 p.m. Monday.
The spot chosen is in the vicinity of Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, where all former prime ministers – except P.V. Narasimha Rao – and presidents have been cremated.
Dasmunsi said all flags would fly at half mast during the period of mourning and government offices would remain closed after 1 p.m. to enable employees to pay their tributes to the departed prime minister.
A banquet in honour of visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Monday night has been cancelled.