Ashes of former president KR Narayanan given a Christian burial

KR Narayanan was India’s first Dalit president and suddenly now  years after his death, his religion is being questioned. For all intents and purposes and on all official documents the former president identified as a Hindu, however, the image of a grave bearing the name of KR Narayanan in a New Delhi cemetery says otherwise.

In an exclusive email to Outlook magazine, Chitra Narayanan, the couple’s daughter, revealed that the former president’s ashes were given a second burial  at the cemetery on Prithviraj Road in New Delhi.

Usha Narayanan, his wife, was buried in the non-denominational cemetery run by the Delhi Cemeteries Committee on Prithviraj Road and one can find the former president’s grave beside hers. Usha was a protestant. Chitra, KR Narayanan’s eldest daughter reasoned that the ashes were given a second burial according to her mother Usha’s wishes.

The daughters Amrita and Chitra in the email mentioned how their father’s ashes were divided into four parts. One part was immersed in the Ganges in Haridwar, the second was taken to Kerala where the ashes were immersed into the Bharatapuzha in a state arranged function and the third part was mixed with those of Narayanan’s parents. The fourth part was interred into the grave, according to a private wish by their mother.

Making the matter further controversial was this report in Kerala’s Janam TV channel and, , Janmabhumi daily which stated that  “K R Narayanan was converted into Christianity after his death”. The report, as quoted by The Indian  Express, said Narayanan was cremated at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal as per Hindu tradition. But three years after Narayanan’s death, his ashes were collected from the Smriti Sthal and deposited at the Church cemetery after constructing a vault. The Church, the report claimed, had kept the matter secret.

Outlook also interviewed Rev. J. Rebello of the Catholic church, who is also the chairman of Delhi Cemeteries Committee and he said: "The burial happened because the Christian pastor of his wife, a protestant, could have vouched that Narayanan is a Christian."

So now the church is looking into the legality of the whole incident since KR Narayanan had not mentioned anything in his will.

The church, as is known, is quite opposed to burying outsiders. It recalls to mind the incident last year with burial of  Priyanka Chopra's grandmother's. Priyanka’s grandmother’s last wish was to be buried in the family grave at Kumarakom, at the church where she was baptised. But this wish went unfulfilled. At that time a church spokesperson had said, “The church automatically disowns one under such conditions. She could have re-joined the church while alive. But once a person is dead, we cannot accept the body for burial."

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• Narayanan buried in Delhi
• first Dalit president of India
• Usha Narayanan