Harikrishna cremated with State honours as fans bid tearful adieu

​Hyderabad: Former Rajya Sabha member and Tollywood actor Nandamuri Harikrishna who died in a road accident at Nalgonda had been cremated with Telangana State honours at Mahaprasthanam in Jubilee Hills on Thursday. It was an emotional moment when the vehicle was carrying a flower decked Harikrishna’s body reached the Mahaprasthanam after completing the funeral procession from Mehdipatnam. 

Late Harikrishna’s sons Kalyan Ram and Junior NT Rama Rao, ritually prepared his father’s remains for cremation. At 4:00 pm, Kalyan Ram and Junior NT Rama Rao circled the pyre three times and Kalyan Ram lit the flame, a rite reserved for a son. 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Harikrishna’s family members, fans, VVIP’s, VIPs, leaders belong to various political parties, celebrities, Nimmakuru fans and members from the film fraternity and all walks of life were paid their last tributes with teared eyes to their beloved leader. 

Earlier the last funeral procession of Harikrishna started at his house in Mehdipatnam at 2:00 pm in the afternoon. The funeral vehicle decorated with yellow flowers when readied for the procession a sad emotional mood prevailed in the premises of his house. With tears all his family members and the fans who came all over from Andhra Pradesh and different States started chanting Harikrishna amar rahe...johar Harikrishna johar johar. 

Amidst emotions Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Supreme Court retired Judge Jasti Chelameswar and family members carried the dead body of the departed leader on their shoulders from his house to Vykunta Ratham vehicle. 

All the family members boarded the vehicle, along with the convoy the last journey of late Harikrishna started moving from the house. Massive crowd moved along with the vehicle by chanting Harikrishna amar rahe. Rope party police separated the vehicles from the normal public and moved ahead towards Mahaprasthanam in Jubilee Hills.

The funeral procession for about 5 kilometres from Mehdipatnam to the Mahaprasthanam had moved via Sarojini Devi Eye hospital, Rethibowli, Nanal Nagar, Tolichowki, Shaikpet Nala, Whisper valley and reached the final destination Mahaprasthanam in Jubilee Hills. The police with the consent of the family members of the deceased moved the procession fast. 

When the procession reached Whisper valley the police stopped the common public, fans and supporters and allowed the convoy vehicles towards the Mahaprasthanam site. Thousands of people had stranded all along the procession route to have the last glimpse of their dear leader and took the videos and photos in their mobiles.

 Earlier before the funeral procession begins at 2:00 pm, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and leaders of different political parties and celebrities of film fraternity paid homage to the leader and expressed their condolences to the bereaved family members. Speaking to the media Vice President said with the straight forwardness and hardworking nature in political and film industry Harikrishna won a place in the lakh of hearts. Security arrangements made for the funeral procession at Mahaprasthanam:

As the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Cabinet Ministers of both the Telugu states and VVIPs, VIPs were going to pay their tributes to the departed leader and since the Telangana government declared the cremation with State honours, police higher officials made tight security arrangements. 

From Wednesday itself the police issued a traffic advisory through the media to the city commuters and to RTC, schools to take alternate routes and not to take the NIRD, Mehdipatnam route due to the funeral procession. And they took the entire surrounding areas of late Harikrishna’s house to their control. 

Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar and Additional CP Shika Goel spoke to the family members of the deceased and charted the map for the funeral procession and cremation to be done at Mahaprasthanam.

They arranged two vehicles for the family members of the deceased leader which had to be moved behind the convoy of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The mufti police deployed to take care of the procession and rope parties were arranged to separate the Vykunta Ratham vehicle from the general public. Keeping the security aspects in view as per their earlier plan they moved the funeral procession fast and reached the Mahaprasthanam which was about 5 kilometres within one and half hour time.

Police allotted stickers to the vehicles of the deceased family and allowed only VVIPs and VIPs and important personalities to the cremation site. Before entering into the Mahaprasthanam they stopped the public outside itself. They allowed only 25 to 35 vehicles to the cremation site. Around Mahaprasthanam the police deployed nearly one hundred police personnel to take care of the surrounding areas. 

They divided the cremation site as two zones. One for the VVIPs to sit under the tent and the family members of Late Harikrishna’s family members to enter the cremation area. A separate place was allotted for the media persons to cover the funeral process. Hyderabad CP and Additional CP with their team supervised the arrangements inside the Mahaprasthanam.

Tension created in the premises when the fans of the deceased leader jumped out of wall and reached to the centre. Immediately police took them away and created conducive atmosphere to the funerals.