Vijay Rupani's Last Rites With Full State Honours, State Mourning For A Day

The state funeral of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who was killed in the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, will be held on Monday with full state honours. A one-day state mourning in memory of the BJP leader will be observed.

Three days after the plane crash, the body of the former chief minister was identified after DNA testing.

A large team of forensic experts have been working to identify bodies of those killed in one of the worst aviation disasters in India by matching DNA with samples collected from their relatives.

DNA-matching is a complex medical and legal process and involves layers of verification. It's only after an elaborate set of tests and confirmation of DNA samples, families are called up and asked to collect the bodies of their loved ones.

In some cases, the analysis is repeated due to insufficient DNA material. The identification process can take up to 72 hours.

The confirmation of Vijay Rupani's identification was announced by Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Sunday morning.

The last rites of Vijay Rupani will be done in Rajkot. Gujarat Health Minister Rishikesh Patel earlier on Sunday said the state government will facilitate all the arrangements after the family decides on the funeral proceedings.

"Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi visited late Vijaybhai Rupani ji's residence today and told the family members that his DNA has been confirmed. His family will take call on last rites and final stage preparations for cremation. After consultation with them, all arrangements will be done," Rishikesh Patel said.

State MLA Reenaben Patel said a lot of well-wishers and supporters of the former chief minister in Rajkot have been waiting to pay their tributes and bid a final goodbye.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI171 from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, crashed immediately after take-off, killing 241 of the 242 people on board.

Vijay Rupani was flying to London to meet his wife and daughter.