Death and state funeral of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

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

Background and death

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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

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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

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

Governmental representatives

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Country Dignitary
  Nepal Tulsi Giri (Prime Minister)[3]
  Uzbek SSR/  Soviet Union Nazar Matkarimovich Matchonov (Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR)[3]
  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]
  Sri Lanka T. B. Ilangaratne (Minister of Trade, Public Administration and Home Affairs)[3]
  Afghanistan Muhammad Naim (Special Envoy)[3]
  Vietnam Phan Hien (Deputy Foreign Minister)[3]
  Bahrain Walid al-Dekhi Dir (Deputy Prime Minister's Office)[3]
  Bhutan Princess Sonam Chhoden Wangchuck[3]
Lyonpo Chhogyal (Finance Minister of Bhutan)[3]
  Pakistan Habibullah Khan Marwat (Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan)[3]
  Japan M. Okuda (Deputy Parliamentary Minister of Foreign Affairs)[3]
  Malaysia Mohamed Yaacob (Minister of Public Enterprises)[3]
  Bangladesh M. A. Rashid (Minister of Public Works and Urban Development)[3]
  Burma U Hla Pona (Foreign Minister)[3]
  East Germany Horst Sindermann (President of the People's Chamber)[3]
  United Kingdom Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones (Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain)[3]
  Iran Jafar Sharif-Emami (President of the Senate of Iran)[3]
Abbas Ali Khalatbari (Minister of Foreign Affairs)[3]
  South Korea Pak Tongjin (Foreign Minister)[3]
  Yugoslavia Cvijetin Mijatović (Member of the Presidency of Yugoslavia)[3]
  Bulgaria Petur Tanchev (First Deputy Chairman of the State Council of Bulgaria)[3]
  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]
  Czechoslovakia Karol Laco (Deputy Prime Minister)[3]
  Egypt Aby Baker Ridwan (Deputy Prime Minister)[3]
  Hungary Gabor Borbely (Member, Presidential Council)[3]
  Romania Ștefan Péterfi (Vice President of the State Council of Romania)[3]
  Syria Jamil Shayya (Deputy Prime Minister)[3]
  Oman Qais al-Zawawi (Minister of State, Foreign Affairs)[3]
  Indonesia Adam Malik (Minister of Foreign Affairs)[3]

Personal representatives

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Flag Dignitary
  Prince Michael of Kent (representing Queen Elizabeth II)[3]
  United States Lillian Carter (mother of President Jimmy Carter)[3]
James Earl "Chip" Carter (second son of President Jimmy Carter)[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Data India 1977 (6). Government of India. 1977. p. 83.
  2. ^ a b c d e "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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj "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.