The body of CPI(M) veteran Sitaram Yechury was donated to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Saturday, for medical research. The ceremony, marked by chants of “Lal Salaam,” saw Yechury’s body wrapped in the red CPI(M) flag.
Earlier in the day, Yechury’s remains were honored at the Communist Party of India (Marxist) headquarters, AKG Bhavan. His body was brought from his residence and laid out at the party office, where leaders including politburo members Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, Pinarayi Vijayan, and M.A. Baby paid their respects.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, accompanied by colleagues such as Jairam Ramesh and Rajeev Shukla, also visited AKG Bhavan to offer her condolences.
Prominent figures from various political backgrounds paid tribute, including NCP president Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leaders Mani Shankar Aiyar, Sachin Pilot, and Ramesh Chennithala, as well as DMK leaders Udhayanidhi Stalin, T.R. Baalu, and Dayanidhi Maran. Others included RJD MP Manoj Jha, Aam Aadmi Party leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha, and Gopal Rai, CPI general secretary D. Raja, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, and CPI leader Annie Raja.
International dignitaries such as Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai, Palestinian Ambassador Adnan Abu Alhaija, former Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, and historian Romila Thapar also paid their respects.
A large gathering of supporters, party members, and leaders assembled at AKG Bhavan. A procession was held as Yechury’s body was transported to AIIMS. His family traveled with the body in the ambulance, while CPI(M) leaders and supporters marched from the party office to Jantar Mantar.
Yechury, the CPI(M) general secretary, passed away on Thursday after a prolonged illness due to a lung infection.
