HT This Day: June 25, 1953 -- Dr Moukerjee’s body cremated

THE body of Dr S. P. Mookerjee, who died in Srinagar yesterday, was cremated this afternoon at the Keortala burning ghat in Kalighat, near the site where the last rites of Deshbandhu C. R. Das and Deshpriya J. M. Sen-Gupta were performed.

To the accompaniment of shouts of Bande Mataram and other slogans by the vast multitude of over half a million, the body of the departed leader was placed on the funeral pyre at 2-15 p.m. and the last remains were consumed by fire by 6-30 p.m. A smart shower towards the evening delayed the burning of the body for some time.

Dr Mookerjee’s eldest son, Anutosh, performed the last rites and set fire to the pyre. He was followed by other members of the family who joined in the rites, including Mr Justice R P Mookerjee, elder brother of the deceased.

The Mayor of Calcutta and many prominent citizens were present at the cremation ground.

Since dawn people converged from all parts of the city and suburbs in trains, trams buses and on foot at the residence of the late Dr. Mookerjee. Even after the suspension of public transport at 10 am the flow of mourners continued unabated. South suburban train services were partially dislocated from 8-30 a.m. by crowds who squatted on the tracks near Jadavpur.

While shops remained completely closed today. Government and mercantile offices declared a half holiday to enable employees to attend the funeral. But in the second half of the day these offices worked with depleted staff, because the funeral was delayed transport remained suspended.

The procession bringing the body of Dr Mookerjee, which left Dum Dum airport at 9-30 last night reached Mookerjee House at Bhawanipore at 4 a.m. today. There the body lay in state as thousands filed past to pay their last homage to the departed leader.

Among those who called on Dr Mookerjee’s house today were the Governor, Dr H. C. Mookerjee, and the Chief Minister, Dr B C. Roy.

To enable people from distant places to pay their respects, the funeral was postponed by three hours from 8 a.m. Another change in the programme announced yesterday related to the route. The procession was due to have passed through North Calcutta but at the last moment it passed only along routes in South Calcutta.

Thousands of those who had lined the streets in North Calcutta later proceeded to Kalighat to swell the crowds around the cremation ground.

THE PROCESSION

Long before the procession came into view, the streets were flanked with thousands of mourners, many of whom were bare-footed. On every verandah and roof-top and advertisement boards and trees, men, women and children, some in tears, were seen waiting to get a glimpse of the body.

Several persons including policemen fainted owing to the impact of the crowd and were attended to by first aid teams posted at different points in the area.

The mile-long procession, led by 50 cyclists flying the saffron coloured flags of the Jan Sangh and the Hindu Mahasabha, slowly proceeded along followed by pedestrian volunteers of these organizations. Then came a large number of refugees, many of them sobbing, and behind them the flower-covered bier.

Crowds jostled around for the privilege of carrying the bier for even a few feet.

HUGE CROWDS

More than 500 policemen and officials tried to control the huge crowds surging against the barricade of wooden logs, covered with wreaths of white flowers, that was construct- ed around the cremation site. Many people, including some children, were trampled under foot but were rescued in time and no reports were received of any serious injury.

A torrential shower towards the evening did not seem to have damped the spirits of the multitude of mourners who occupied every inch of space within a radius of half a mile around the cremation ground.

As the last wisps of smoke arose from the pyre, on which was placed a few hours ago the mortal remains of the great son of Bengal,” the crowds silently wended their way home.

Among the wreaths placed on the bier were those from the Governor, the Pradesh Congress Committee, Calcutta University, the Calcutta Corporation, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Jan Sangh.