Hyderabad, September 04: Grief swept through Andhra Pradesh and much of the country on Thursday with the tragic death of Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy who died when his helicopter crashed into a hilltop and exploded.
The mortal remains of Reddy and four others, who were also killed in the crash, were brought to Hyderabad by an Indian Air Force helicopter this evening from Kurnool district.
The Indian Air Force helicopter carrying YSR’s body landed at the old airport at Begumpet. State ministers and senior leaders of the ruling Congress received the casket at the airport.
Amidst slogans “YSR Amar Rahe”, Reddy’s body was shifted to CM’s camp office here from old Begumpet Airport. Hundreds of party workers, well wishers, ministers, Congress MP and legislators besides political leaders cutting across party lines assembled to pay their respects to Reddy.
The Union Cabinet condoled the death of Reddy and announced a state funeral for him.
“The national flag will fly at half mast in Andhra Pradesh today and tomorrow and all Central and state government offices in the state will remain closed tomorrow,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and four others were killed when their helicopter crashed on a hillock, about 49 nautical miles east of Kurnool, more than an hour it took off from here yesterday.
In one of the biggest searches mounted in the country, helicopters, remote sensing unmanned aerial vehicles and even barefoot villagers hunted in pouring rain for a whole day and night in the forested hinterland for the wreckage, which was finally located about 40 nautical miles east of Kurnool town.
The body of the Chief Minister will be kept at the L B Shastri stadium here tomorrow to allow the general public to pay their last respects before being taken to his native village Pulivendula in Kadapa district for the final rites.
The bodies of Special Secretary Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary A S C Wesley, pilot Group Captain S K Bhatia and co-pilot M S Reddy were also shifted to their residences in Somajiguda, Shanti Nagar, Yapral in Bollarum area and Vidya Nagar areas respectively.
The charred bodies and the wreckage of the twin-engined Bell 430 helicopter were located at 8.30 AM on Thursday on a hillock, eight kms from Kurnool, 23 hours after it went missing while flying to Chittoor in south Andhra Pradesh.
Para commandos had to rappel down slippery slopes to retrieve the bodies, some who could only be recognised by the clothes they wore.
“It appears that because of inclement weather and to avoid cloud formation, the pilot had taken a detour from the preliminary inquiry… it appeared the chopper went and hit the cliff of a hillock,” added state Chief Secretary P. Ramakant Reddy.
There was shock, disbelief and tears in Andhra Pradesh as the late chief minister’s body reached Hyderabad in the evening and crowds milled around trying to come to terms with the enormity of the tragedy.
“He is my god. I can’t believe that he is no more,” said an inconsolable Congress worker.
Many towns and villages in the state virtually shut down in grief as the news spread.
The silence that fell over the state was punctuated by muffled sobs and wails of hundreds of people who rushed to the popular chief minister’s camp office, the state secretariat and the party headquarters.
In the rest of the country, viewers sat in front of their television sets watching the unfolding of the tragedy that had left the state and the ruling Congress in a political vacuum.
The news stunned the Congress that lost the leader who had helped strengthen its foothold in the vital south. Tributes poured in from all quarters, including from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that also lowered its flags in mourning.
Cutting across party lines, the Chief Ministers today paid glowing tributes to Reddy while many states declared mourning and a holiday as a mark of respect to the leader.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who is in China, said he was hoping that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister would be safe after his helicopter went missing. “My hopes have been shattered and I am deeply grieved,” he said. The state BJP government declared a two-day mourning and a holiday tomorrow. In Bihar, the JD(U)-led government also announced two-day state mourning.
Yeddyurappa’s party collegues Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh expressed shock and grief over Reddy’s death.
The BJD government in Orissa declared a one-day state mourning.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal described Reddy as “a gentleman politician and a people’s man” and declared a two-day state mourning when national flags would fly half mast at government buildings.
Maharashtra has also declared state mourning for a day tomorrow.
-Agencies