Death and state funeral of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, the fifth President of India, died in office of heart failure on 11 February 1977, aged 71.

Background and death

On 6 February 1977, Ahmed left India for state visits to Malaysia, the Philippines and Burma. On 6 February, he arrived in Kuala Lumpur, but after two days of engagements felt fatigued and was examined by his physician, following which he cancelled his engagements and the remainder of the trip.^[1] He returned to Delhi on 10 February, and the following morning at 6:00 suffered a heart attack in his bathroom at Rashtrapati Bhavan, being declared dead at 8:52.^[1]

Funeral

Ahmed's body lay in state at Rashtrapati Bhavan until 10:00 on 13 February, after which it was taken to the Mughal Gardens adjoining the presidential residence for the Salat al-Janazah. After the prayer, Ahmed's body returned to Rashtrapati Bhavan until 14:15 when it was placed on a ceremonial gun carriage and taken in procession to the gravesite at the Jama Masjid.^[2] The funeral procession of vehicles, including acting President B. D. Jatti, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, military units and foreign dignitaries, moved along Rajpath, Janpath, Connaught Place and Parliament Street before reaching Patel Chowk, with large numbers of mourners watching.^[1] From Patel Chowk, the procession continued along Ashoka Marg, Pt. Pant Marg and Talkatora Marg to the Parliament House complex. There, the acting President and the principal mourners left their vehicles to walk with the gun carriage past Transport Bhavan to the burial site.^[2]

Carried by military pallbearers and accompanied by the three armed service chiefs,^[2] Ahmed's body was carried to its gravesite and lowered into the grave with full state honours at around 16:30, accompanied by the Fatiha.^[1] The principal mourners and representatives of Islamic nations joined in throwing earth onto Ahmed's coffin as it was lowered into the grave.^[2] The funeral service concluded at 17:15, after a 21-gun salute was fired and the Last Post and Rouse were sounded.^[2][1]

Dignitaries

26 countries sent representatives to Ahmed's state funeral:^[3]

Governmental representatives

Country	Dignitary
Nepal	Tulsi Giri (Prime Minister)[3]
Uzbek SSR/ Soviet Union	Nazar Matkarimovich Matchonov (Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR)[3]
Soviet Union	Mikhail Porfir'yevich Georgadze (Secretary of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union)[3] Nikolay Firyubin (Deputy Foreign Minister)[3]
Sri Lanka	T. B. Ilangaratne (Minister of Trade, Public Administration and Home Affairs)[3]
Afghanistan	Muhammad Naim (Special Envoy)[3]
Vietnam	Phan Hien (Deputy Foreign Minister)[3]
Bahrain	Walid al-Dekhi Dir (Deputy Prime Minister's Office)[3]
Bhutan	Princess Sonam Chhoden Wangchuck[3] Lyonpo Chhogyal (Finance Minister of Bhutan)[3]
Pakistan	Habibullah Khan Marwat (Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan)[3]
Japan	M. Okuda (Deputy Parliamentary Minister of Foreign Affairs)[3]
Malaysia	Mohamed Yaacob (Minister of Public Enterprises)[3]
Bangladesh	M. A. Rashid (Minister of Public Works and Urban Development)[3]
Burma	U Hla Pona (Foreign Minister)[3]
East Germany	Horst Sindermann (President of the People's Chamber)[3]
United Kingdom	Elwyn Jones, Baron Elwyn-Jones (Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain)[3]
Iran	Jafar Sharif-Emami (President of the Senate of Iran)[3] Abbas Ali Khalatbari (Minister of Foreign Affairs)[3]
South Korea	Pak Tongjin (Foreign Minister)[3]
Yugoslavia	Cvijetin Mijatović (Member of the Presidency of Yugoslavia)[3]
Bulgaria	Petur Tanchev (First Deputy Chairman of the State Council of Bulgaria)[3]
United States	Adolph Dubs (Deputy Assistant Secretary of State)[3] Charles H. Percy (Senator from Illinois)[3] John Joseph Cavanaugh III (Congressman from the 2nd Congressional District of Nebraska)[3]
Czechoslovakia	Karol Laco (Deputy Prime Minister)[3]
Egypt	Aby Baker Ridwan (Deputy Prime Minister)[3]
Hungary	Gabor Borbely (Member, Presidential Council)[3]
Romania	Ștefan Péterfi (Vice President of the State Council of Romania)[3]
Syria	Jamil Shayya (Deputy Prime Minister)[3]
Oman	Qais al-Zawawi (Minister of State, Foreign Affairs)[3]
Indonesia	Adam Malik (Minister of Foreign Affairs)[3]

Personal representatives

Flag	Dignitary
	Prince Michael of Kent (representing Queen Elizabeth II)[3]
United States	Lillian Carter (mother of President Jimmy Carter)[3] James Earl "Chip" Carter (second son of President Jimmy Carter)[3]

References

1. Data India 1977 (6). Government of India. 1977. p. 83.
2. "Arrangements for President's Funeral on Sunday: New Delhi Jama Masjid Final Resting Place" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 12 February 1977. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
3. "Arrivals of Special Delegations" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 13 February 1977. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.