Businessman-politician and TDP MLC MVVS Murthi was cremated on Sunday with full state honours at a site in Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam. Murthi, a noted educationist who founded the GITAM University, was given a special site by the state government near the varsity.
A 1,360 sq ft site was finalised by the administration of the Visakhapatnam district, after his mortal remains were flown back on Sunday morning. Earlier in the day, his body was taken to his residence in Waltair Uplands in Visakhapatnam in an open-top van. A large number of TDP activists were present during the procession.
80-year-old Murthi was killed in a road accident in Alaska in the United States last week as the car he was travelling in collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction near Anchorage city. He was reported to be travelling from California to Alaska and was in the US to attend a grand alumni meet of GITAM University to be held on October 6.
Murthi was also considered close to the Nara family, including Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Murthi's grandson is also married to Nandamuri Balakrishna's younger daughter, Tejaswini.
Visuals aired by local media showed a large number of people who gathered at the party office to pay tribute to Murthi. The deceased leader also served two tenures as an MP, once in 1991 and again in 1999 as a member of the Lok Sabha from Visakhapatnam. He later contested and won twice as an MLC.
Besides CM Naidu and senior leaders of the TDP, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu also laid a wreath on Murthi's body, which was wrapped in the national flag and placed in a glass casket.
Stating that Murthi told him about the US trip before he left, Naidu told reporters, “There was no need for him to inform me about his U.S. trip. But that showed his commitment to the party.”
A memorial is expected to be developed for Murthi at the site where he was cremated.