From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jul 31: The body of 39-year-old Rakesh, elder son of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who passed away at the Antwerp University Hospital in Belgium on Saturday, will be taken straight to Mysuru on Monday.
Though the body arrives at Bengaluru’s KempeGowda International Airport on Monday morning, it will not be brought out of the Airport.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with his wife, younger son, daughter in law and other members of the family are accompanying the body of his son Rakesh Siddaramaiah by Emirates Airlines starting at 3.05 pm from Brussels.
The Chief Minister, his family and the body are reaching Bengaluru at 9.05 am on Monday.
Immediately on arrival, the family members will board a Special Flight to Mysuru, along with the body. The body will be placed at the Exhibition grounds of Mysuru for public viewing before it is taken to the farm for the last rites.
The body will be placed at the Karnataka Exhibition Grounds at Mysuru at 1 pm on Monday to facilitate the friends, relatives and public to pay homage to the departed soul for about an hour, according to Cooperation Minister H S Mahadevaprasad, who is also the Mysuru district in-charge minister and close confidant of the Chief Minister.
The body will be then taken to the T. Katur Farm House for the last rites.
The members of the public will not be allowed to participate in the last rites, during which only the family members and dignitaries will be allowed to be present.
As the body is not brought out of Airport in Bengaluru, an appeal has been made by the authorities to the public not to assemble at the Kempe Gowda International Airport.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has expressed his gratitude to the people, especially friends and well-wishers, for sharing his sadness in this hour of grief, for the loss of his elder son Rakesh.
In a message from Brussels in Belgium, Siddaramaiah said "My pain is inexplicable and my loss is irreplaceable. Still, I am unable to control tears. But, I feel, I will be failing in duty, if I do not express gratitude for the people, who stood by me, in this hour of grief.”
Earlier report
Rakesh Siddaramaiah had pancreatic complications for years, funeral on Monday
Daijiworld Media Network-Bengaluru (RJP)
Bengaluru, Jul 31: Rakesh Siddaramaih's last rites will be held on Monday August 1 in T Katuru in Mysuru taluk, sources at chief minister's office (CMO) said. The chief minister’s family will fly back with the body to Mysuru in a special aircraft on Sunday night or Monday morning.
According to the CMO, Rakesh had been suffering from pancreatic complications ever since his near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2001. His pancreatic problems always remained since then and he was hospitalised many times, the recently being three months back for few days.
Rakesh was touring Belgium with five friends and is learnt to have developed abdominal pain on July 22. His friends admitted him to a hospital in Brussels and subsequently informed the chief minister Siddaramaiah about his health condition.
Siddaramaiah flew into Belgium on July 28 and his wife Parvathi, their younger son Dr Yathindra, Rakesh’s wife Swathi and two family doctors reached later. Rakesh had to undergo two surgeries in Belgium, following which he had been put on a ventilator in the intensive care unit.
Siddaramaiah had sought External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s help to get prompt medical assistance in Belgium. India’s Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg, Manjeev Singh Puri, had helped in facilitating treatment.