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Scores pay respects to Irani

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: Scores of mourners paid their last respects on Sunday morning to C. R. Irani, Editor-in-Chief, The Statesman, at The Statesman House where his body was kept. Irani passed away in a city hospital on Saturday.

West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi; the former Chief Minister, Siddharta Shankar Ray; Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee; Editor of Ananda Bazar Patrika and The Telegraph Aveek Sarkar; and the Editor of Bartaman Barun Sengupta.

A representative of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee paid a floral tribute on behalf of the Government.

His mortal remains were later taken to the Rawana Ghar for Parsi prayers after which the cortege left for the Tower of Silence for last rites.

Kalam condoles

PTI reports from New Delhi:

President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed grief at the death of Irani.

The President said Irani, during his four-decade stint as Managing Director and later Editor-in-Chief of The Statesman left an indelible mark on the newspaper.

Describing Irani as an ``undaunted champion of freedom of press and probity in public life'', Mr. Shekhawat said the country had lost a veteran journalist known for his courage and exemplary moral standard.

Dr. Singh condoled the death of Irani, describing him as ``among the tallest of our journalists'' and extolling his qualities as a secular nationalist and institution-builder.

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