'Shanti havan' for Mulayam Singh Yadav on Oct 21, ashes to be immersed in Haridwar

New Delhi: The family of  Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav will hold a `shanti havan` in the coming days to wrap up the post-death rituals. The Samajwadi Party (SP) will also hold `shraddhanjali sabhas (prayer meetings)` for the party patriarch across the state on October 21.

"We will be holding a `shanti havan`, instead of 13th day rites (tehravin) rituals, in Saifai as per the family tradition. The date of the shanti havan will be decided soon," said a member of the Yadav clan.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav`s ashes would later be taken to Haridwar for immersion after the shanti havan.

"It has been decided to immerse the ashes in Haridwar after the shanti havan. All the family members will go to Haridwar," he said. Till then, the entire family will remain in Saifai.

Earlier, a day after the cremation of his father, Akhilesh Yadav penned down an emotional tweet. “Aaj pehli baar laga…bin suraj ke uga savera (For the time he felt as if the morning arrived without the sun),” the Samajwadi Party leader said in a tweet in Hindi. The SP chief also shared two pictures from the site where the socialist icon was cremated on Tuesday amid a sea of humanity.

Mulayam Singh Yadav’s mortal remains were consigned to flames with full state honours on October 11. His last rites were attended by senior leaders and top officials. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Telangana Chief Minister KCR, Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and others were present at the last rites ceremony of former CM of UP.

Born on November 22, 1939, Mulayam Singh Yadav was one of the most prominent leaders of Uttar Pradesh who served as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh thrice and has also handled the responsibility of the Union Government as the Minister of Defence.

(With agency inputs)