The mortal remains of veteran Congress leader Paty Ripple Kyndiah was accorded state funeral at St. Anthony's Ground, Laitumkhrah, before being laid to rest at All Saints' Cathedral Cemetery, here today.
Floral wreathes were laid by dignitaries of the state at the casket bearing the former union minister's body draped with the Tricolor, while the Meghalaya Police accorded gun salute as a mark of respect to the departed leader.
Paying tribute to Kyndiah, Chief Adviser to the state government D D Lapang recalled him as a "man of passion, mission and determination" and said his passing away was a great loss to the family, the state and the nation as a whole.
On behalf of the all members of the Assembly, Speaker A T Mondal offered his tributes to the late leader saying it was one of the saddest moments in the history of Meghalaya. "Late Kyndiah never lost an election in his lifetime and this only shows the amount of faith the people had in him," he said, adding that he had been a guiding force to all the members in the Assembly especially to the new members.
Home Minister Roshan Warjri recalled the services of Kyndiah to the state and the nation in various capacities, saying she would greatly miss his "towering presence".
L K Kyndiah, one of the sons of late Kyndiah, expressed his gratitude to the state Government for giving the honour to their late father and said besides being a great leader, he was a caring father and the closest friend.
Among others, floral tribute to the departed leader on behalf of Governor K N Tripathi was paid by Principal Secretary M S Rao, while the tribute on behalf of the Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma was paid by his wife and Chairperson of Meghalaya Resource Mobilization & Employment Generation Council, Dikkanchi D Shira on the occasion.
Despite the inclement weather, the state funeral function for Late Kyndiah was attended by ministers, officials, family members, relatives, friends and well-wishers.
