Yogesh
Jammu, Nov 1: Hundreds gathered on Friday in Jammu to pay their last respects to senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and prominent entrepreneur Devender Singh Rana, who passed away on Thursday after a prolonged illness at a hospital in Haryana. His cremation took place at Shastri Nagar Cremation Ground here.
On Friday afternoon, Rana’s mortal remains were brought to his home in Gandhi Nagar, where thousands, including top party leaders and his brother, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, paid tribute. From there, the mortal remains were carried in a flower-adorned vehicle in a procession to the cremation ground.
The air was filled with chants of “Devender Singh Rana Amar Rahe,” as crowds surged to honor him during his final farewell. The last rites were performed by his son in an emotionally charged atmosphere, with politicians from across the spectrum in attendance.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary visited Rana’s residence to offer their condolences. Deputy Chief Minister Choudhary expressed grief over Rana’s death, saying, “J&K has lost a big leader, especially a strong voice for Jammu.” Omar Abdullah left after paying his respects without speaking to the media.
A sea of people, including Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, UT Cabinet Ministers Javed Ahmed Rana and Satish Sharma, BJP MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, J&K BJP President Ravinder Raina, Additional Director General of Police Anand Jain, elected MLAs, former MLAs, religious leaders, and various members of civil society followed the procession from Gandhi Nagar to the cremation ground.
Who was Devender Singh Rana?
A former National Conference (NC) leader, Devender Singh Rana joined the BJP in 2021 after a long association with the NC, where he served as a provincial president and political advisor to then-Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Born in Malhiri, Doda district, in 1965, Rana earned a civil engineering degree from the Regional Engineering College (now NIT) Kurukshetra in 1986.
Rana became active in politics in 2000, serving as Omar Abdullah’s media advisor in 2001, and later joined the Legislative Council until 2018. He won the Assembly seat from Nagrota in 2014, representing Jammu’s interests, and was a vocal advocate for a public holiday on Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary. In 2021, he initiated the “Jammu Declaration”, aiming to promote Jammu’s political narrative.
Apart from politics, Rana was a successful entrepreneur. He founded JamKash Vehicleades, which has a major presence across Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and other northern states, and also established Take One Media, a prominent media channel in the region.
Rana is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.
