Lakhs of tearful mourners bid adieu to Andhra CM YSR

Lakhs of mourners on Friday swarmed Hyderabad to bid a tearful adieu to Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who was killed in a helicopter crash on Wednesday, on his final journey to his native Kadappa district.

The body was wrapped in a tri-colour and kept in an open army truck decorated with flowers for taking it to Gandhi Bhavan--State Headquarters of Congress in Nampally as thousands of mourners chanting Reddy's name followed the vehicle.

Reddy's son Jagan Mohan, Rajya Sabha member and close aide of Reddy, K V P Ramchandra Rao and Congress MP Mohammed Azharuddin were among those who stood near the casket carrying Reddy's body with hundreds of police personnel surrounding the truck.

The body is now being taken to his hometown Pulivendla in Kadapa for last rites this evening.

Apart from the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers
including P Chidambaram, A K Antony, Veerappa Moily, Prithviraj Chouhan and Chief Ministers Sheila Dixit and Ashok Gehlot met with Reddy's family members and conveyed their condolences.

The leaders played wreaths on Reddy's body and also wrote condolence messages at the Chief Minister's camp office in Begumpet.