A successful entrepreneur and founder of Sahara Group, Subrata Roy, was cremated on Thursday evening with his 16-year-old grandson performing the last rites at Bhaisakund, in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow district.
Roy’s sons Sushanto and Seemanto were abroad and could not attend the funeral.
A procession carrying Roy’s body left Sahara Shahar in Gomti Nagar at around 4:30 pm for Baikunth Dham in the presence of his close friends, staffers of Sahara Group and celebrities including singer Sonu Nigam, filmmaker Boney Kapoor and others, who bid goodbye to the “man with the golden heart”.
“I have a long association with Subrata Roy. He was a great personality. He was a fatherly figure, who often pampered and advised me like my brother. I have known him since 1997. He was a true patriot. I was in Dubai when I came to know about his demise, I came all the way from Dubai to Lucknow to say him a final goodbye,” said singer Sonu Nigam.
The 75-year-old, who was a prominent figure in retail, real estate, and finance, passed away at a private hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday night due to cardiorespiratory arrest amidst health complications. His body was flown in from Mumbai and kept at Sahara Shahar, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow on Wednesday.
Among those who paid tribute to Roy, also referred as Sahara Shri, were Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, former UP Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leader in UP Vidhan Sabha Aradhana Mishra Mona and other Congress leaders. On the day, former MP Naresh Agarwal and UP minister Nitin Agarwal, Smita Thackeray and others paid tribute to Roy.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Yadav had also expressed grief over Roy’s demise.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, CM Yogi Adityanath said, “The demise of Sahara Group chief Subrata Roy is very sad. Prayers to Lord Shri Ram to give place to the departed soul at his feet and give strength to the bereaved family members to bear this immense sorrow. Om Shanti.”
While Akhilesh Yadav had said, “Roy’s death is a loss for Uttar Pradesh and the country because along with being a very successful businessman, he was also a very sensitive person with a big heart who helped countless people and became their support”.