Thousands Pay Final Respects to Veteran CPI Leader R Nallakannu in Chennai

Chennai: Thousands of people paid their final respects to senior communist leader and freedom fighter R Nallakannu, whose body was kept for public homage at the CPI state headquarters in Chennai.

Leaders including D Raja and CPI Tamil Nadu State Secretary M Veerapandian draped the party’s red flag over the body. Several senior CPI leaders, including Annie Raja, paid their respects.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, ministers, MPs, MLAs and representatives of various political parties attended to offer condolences. Prominent personalities from the film and literary world, including actors Rajinikanth, Suriya, Karthi, Vijay Sethupathi and Sivakarthikeyan, senior journalist N Ram, poets Vairamuthu and Yuga Bharathi, and director Rajumurugan were among those who paid homage.

Former Kerala Assembly Speaker M Vijayakumar placed a wreath on behalf of the Kerala government.

The Tamil Nadu government accorded official honours to the departed leader. In the evening, amid slogans raised by thousands of supporters, the body was handed over to Madras Medical College for medical research, in accordance with his wishes.

R Nallakannu, who was 101, passed away on Wednesday at a private hospital in Chennai due to age-related ailments. Remembered for his unwavering commitment to equality and social justice, he remained an enduring figure in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape for decades.