President Droupadi Murmu on Friday departed for Vatican City to attend the State Funeral of Pope Francis. Accompanying her on this visit are Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju; Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry
Rijiju said that the delegation also includes Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries George Kurian and Goa's Deputy Speaker Joshua Peter De Souza.
President Droupadi Murmu will visit Vatican City for a two-day visit from April 25 - 26 to attend the State Funeral of Pope Francis and offer condolences on behalf of the Government and people of India.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) West Bengal President and Union Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, attended the funeral procession of Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Manish Raman Mishra, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack. He called on all political parties to put as
Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday made the declaration through a statement, and further announced that the National flag will be flown at half-mast on the day throughout India on all buildings where it is flown regularly and there will be no official entertainment.
Karnataka Minister for Labour Santosh Lad on Wednesday reached Srinagar to oversee arrangements for the return of the mortal remains of Manjunath Rao, a Shivamogga resident who lost his life in the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
"The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus," Pope Francis said in his spiritual testament, dated June 29, 2022 that was published after his demise.
A two-day state mourning will be observed on April 22 and April 23. One day state mourning will be observed on the day of the funeral, which will be intimated separately.
The pope died of a stroke followed by heart failure on Monday at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta. His death was also affected by other ailments, including a "previous episode of acute respiratory failure," arterial hypertension and type II diabetes, Vatican's press office
Bhavesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu community leader in Dinajpur, was allegedly abducted and beaten to death earlier this week. Police have completed his postmortem and are working to identify the suspects, as the family prepares for his funeral.
"The number of people who came to attend his funeral shows how much the community valued him. He had been unwell for some time, and today, Jammu and Kashmir grieves a great loss. He was ill for a long time and passed away today. May his soul rest in peace," Abdullah told reporters.