Pall of gloom in Yogi Adityanath’s village in Pauri Garhwal after his father’s death

DEHRADUN: The news of the passing away of UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s father Anand Singh Bisht at AIIMS Delhi on Monday was met with grief at the village of Panchur in Pauri Garhwal where Bisht, a former forest ranger, had been living with his family since the past few decades.
Several villagers fondly remembered Bisht as “a down-to-earth person who had worked at the grassroot level as BJP’s Yamkeshwar block president in the early 1990s.”
Chandra Mohan Negi, a long-time associate of Bisht, told TOI, “He never had any airs that his son was the UP chief minister.He was extremely humble and took active part in the village meetings, always giving valuable suggestions, especially on the issue of forest conservation.”
Recalling her association with Bisht, Yamkeshwar BJP MLA Ritu Khanduri said, “Since he was the former mandal head of Yamkeshwar block of our party, I met him on numerous occasions and he was extremely helpful in sharing his concerns about the region. I had met him last in a school function where we discussed at length on how health facilities in the area can be improved.”
Meanwhile, speaking to TOI about the cremation arrangements, Bisht’s youngest son, Mahendra, said that the cremation will take place on Tuesday. “We have taken the body to our village and the cremation will take place here on Tuesday morning,” he said, adding that “Yogiji will not be able to be present during the cremation.”
Uttarakhand protocol minister Dhan Singh Rawat said that the state government is making all necessary arrangements for the cremation.
In a message on Monday evening, CM Trivendra Singh Rawat also condoled Anand Singh Bisht’s passing away. Describing Bisht as a person with a distinctive personality, the CM said that the social work done by him in Yamkeshwar block will always be remembered. “His contribution in the field of education was significant. Several students are able to get an education in the college established by him for which he will always be remembered,” said the CM.