Jamshedpur: A centenary celebration to mark the establishment of Chakradharpur railway station was deferred on Thursday as railway officials mourned the death of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s mother Rupi.Railway officials, public representatives and dignitaries, who had gathered at the station for the function, observed a two-minute silence and paid their tributes before the programme was called off. Children and artists also returned without delivering their planned performances.The officials did not immediately announce a fresh date for hosting the programme.In Jamshedpur, Congress deferred its scheduled “Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao” march. “She was a compassionate woman whose warmth touched many lives,” Jamshedpur (East) MLA Saryu Roy said.In the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district, a pall of gloom descended over Kanglatand in Dhatkidih village in Chandil. It was here Rupi was born and grew up. Locals remembered her as someone who was deeply connected to her roots despite the family’s prominence in the state’s politics.All members of Rupi’s family left for Ranchi late Wednesday. “She visited Chandil during the annual Sohrai festival to meet her relatives and villagers. Her last visit was in March this year, when she attended a nephew’s wedding,” Subhendu Mahato, president of the district unit of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, said. Several organisations across Kolhan also organised condolence meetings.
