STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir BJP MLA Devender Singh Rana, who passed away in a hospital in Haryana, was cremated on Friday with full honours in Jammu, where thousands of people and top political leaders, cutting across party lines, bid adieu to him.
The last rites of Rana, known as “voice of Jammu”, were performed at the Shastri Nagar crematorium, where his mortal remains were ferried in a flower-decked vehicle and received Union Territory (UT) honours.
Amid chants of “Rana sahib amar rahein”, thousands of mourners with tearful eyes paid their respects at his residence soon after his body arrived from Faridabad.
In the presence of JK Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Jitendra Singh, JK Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, minister Satesh Sharma, BJP Jammu and Kashmir chief Ravinder Raina, BJP MLAs and MP Jugal Kishore, the police paid their respects with the sounding of the last bugle and a salute.
Rana died at a hospital in Faridabad after a brief illness. He was 59 years old.
According to a senior BJP leader, Rana was undergoing treatment at the hospital. He is survived by his wife, Gunjan Rana, their daughters Devyani and Ketki, and son Adhiraj Singh.
Shekhawat, who flew from New Delhi to attend Rana’s cremation, said, “Devender Rana was a senior leader with a deep understanding of the party’s ideology. His loss is significant for the BJP.”
Political leaders from various parties gathered to bid farewell to Rana, who passed away late on Diwali night. He was a prominent entrepreneur and an influential politician.
Abdullah travelled to Jammu on Friday to bid farewell to Rana, his former aide, and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.
“Rana’s death is an irreparable loss to Jammu and Kashmir and the BJP. He was a political stalwart whose influence extended beyond party and religious lines,” Raina said.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary said, “He was a beloved leader whose loss has left a significant void in Jammu and Kashmir politics.”
Congress’ Jammu and Kashmir unit chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma also expressed his condolences. “This is very unfortunate. Despite ideological differences, he maintained friendly relationships with everyone,” he said.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah also expressed shock at Rana’s sudden passing. “We had a great relationship with him and before him with his father. Omar liked him a lot.
“He held a significant position in our party in Jammu and made the party stronger. We are all very sad — my whole family, my son is very sad, he was close to him. I pray God gives strength to his family to bear this loss,” he told reporters in Srinagar.
CPI(M) leader Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami also expressed grief at Rana’s death, saying in a statement that his sudden death was shocking.
The legacy of Rana is marked by his remarkable journey from building a multi-crore automobile company to becoming a significant political figure advocating the “Dogra chief minister” narrative in JK.
Born into a Dogra family in Doda district in 1965, Rana was the son of former bureaucrat Rajinder Singh Rana and the younger brother of Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh.
Union minister Singh took to X to express grief, saying, “The untimely demise of my brother Devender Singh Rana is a deep personal loss, which is not only irreparable and painful, but the void created will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life. I sincerely thank all those standing by me and the family in these testing times.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock at Rana’s death and said his “untimely demise is shocking”.
In a post on X, the prime minister said, “…He (Rana) was a veteran leader who worked diligently towards Jammu and Kashmir’s progress. He had just won the assembly polls and had also played a noteworthy role in making the BJP stronger in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with his family and supporters. Om Shanti,” he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed grief over Rana’s untimely passing. “Devendra ji, who was always dedicated to the peace and development of Jammu and Kashmir and the interests of the people, made an invaluable contribution to the progress of the region. His demise is an irreparable loss for the BJP family. I express my condolences to his family and supporters,” he said.
Omar Abdullah posted an emotional message on his X handle, saying, “The terrible news from late last night isn’t really sinking in. I know the last few years have been marked by our differences, Devender, but I prefer to focus on the fun times we shared together, the excellent work we did together, and the memories.”
“You have been taken from us all too soon and will be missed. May your soul rest in peace now, DSR. My heart goes out to your family as I struggle to find the words to convey my condolences to them,” he said.
A civil engineer by training, Rana graduated from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kurukshetra and ventured into business, founding the Jamkash Vehicleades group, which became a leading automobile company in JK.
Rana’s political career began at a young age when he joined the National Conference (NC). He quickly rose to prominence as a key strategist, serving as the provincial president and political adviser to Omar Abdullah.
His ability to connect with both Hindus and Muslims, particularly the Gujjar community, solidified his reputation as a trusted leader.
In the recent assembly election, Rana won the Nagrota seat by a margin of 30,472 votes, demonstrating his capacity to unite diverse voter bases.
Rana was also a vocal advocate for the Jammu Declaration, which sought the restoration of statehood for the Jammu region following the August 2019 abrogation of Article 370.
His political journey took a new turn in October 2021, when he resigned from the NC and joined the BJP.
