Sitaram Yechury's Final Journey: Body Donated to AIIMS for Research

Wrapped in the red flag of the CPIM, Sitaram Yechury's body was donated to AIIMS for medical research on Saturday amid chants of "Lal Salaam." Earlier, tributes were paid at the Communist Party of India Marxist headquarters at AKG Bhavan, where his remains were brought from his residence.

Yechury's body, draped in the CPIM flag, was kept at the party office. Leaders such as Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, Pinarayi Vijayan, and M A Baby paid their respects. Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi also visited AKG Bhavan with colleagues Jairam Ramesh and Rajeev Shukla to pay her last respects.

Political Leaders Pay Homage

NCP president Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Congress leaders Mani Shankar Aiyar and Sachin Pilot were among those who paid tribute. DMK leaders Udhayanidhi Stalin, T R Baalu, Dayanidhi Maran, RJD MP Manoj Jha, and AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh also attended.

Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Hai, Palestinian Ambassador Adnan Abu Alhaija, former Nepal PM Madhav Kumar Nepal, former CIC Wajahat Habibullah, and historian Romila Thapar were present to pay their respects. Hundreds of supporters and party members gathered at AKG Bhavan.

Final Journey to AIIMS

A march was organised as Yechury's body was taken to AIIMS for donation. Family members accompanied the body in an ambulance while CPIM leaders and supporters marched from the party office to Jantar Mantar. Yechury passed away on Thursday after battling a lung infection.

Yechury, 72, had been critically ill for several days and was on respiratory support while being treated for an acute respiratory tract infection at AIIMS ICU. He was admitted to the hospital on August 19. On Friday, his body was taken to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where students and faculty paid their respects.

Legacy at JNU

As a student at JNU, Yechury joined the Students Federation of India (SFI) in 1974 and was arrested during Emergency. He served as president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) thrice during 1977-78. Later, his body was taken to his residence where senior CPIM leaders paid tributes.

BJP president J P Nadda also paid his last respects to Yechury at his residence on Friday evening. Yechury is survived by his wife Seema Chishti and two children—Akhila and Danish. His elder son Ashish Yechury died of COVID-19 in 2021. Yechury was previously married to Indrani Mazumdar.