BBC News, presented by Jan Leeming. Brian Hanrahan reporting in New Delhi on Mrs Gandhi’s funeral 

“Pyre is still burning tonight on the banks of the River Jumna in Delhi. Tomorrow, her ashes will be scattered onto the holy waters of the Ganges in accordance with Hindu custom. Hundreds of thousands watched the four hour procession and the leaders of 94 countries were there to pay their tributes. Despite continuing violence in the Indian capital. Tonight, the new Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, made a visit to the worst affected areas and ordered stern action against rioters.

Delhi has seen the worst of the communal fighting, with half the thousand dead in India resulting from incidents in the city. Today, the police opened fire in ten places in Delhi, killing seven people.

The bodies of seventy Sikhs were found on trains arriving in the city and all rail services in and out of Delhi have been cancelled.

Jan Leeming, BBC

The funeral procession began at Mrs Gandhi’s childhood home, moved past the presidential residence and then along the ceremonial route to the India Gate War Memorial. There, security fears forced a change in the route to avoid the main shopping area and the procession moved on to the open fields of old Delhi to a place called Shanti Vana, the Forest of Peace. Our correspondent Brian Hanrahan was there and reports on an extraordinary day in the history of the world’s biggest democracy.

India’s poor have always been a major part of Mrs Gandhi’s constituency, but they failed her. Today, discouraged by the violence and the strict security, they came in a trickle rather than a torrent to watch her last journey. The curfew was relaxed only a few hours before the funeral started and transport both within and to Delhi remains restricted. Mrs Thatcher, who’d arrived from London in the early hours of the morning, paid a courtesy call on the new Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. It was brief. His is a busy schedule, with many visitors to meet, a nation in turmoil and his mother’s funeral to organise.

The military escort accompanied the gun carriage with Mrs Gandhi’s body from the house where it had laid in state. The house of her father, Mr Nehru, where she’d lived the 16 years while he was Prime Minister. Now she followed the same route to a funeral pyre, just a few hundred yards from his. Three ropes led forward from the gun carriage, each drawn by a different service. Red for the army, dark and light blues for the Navy and the Air Force.

Ahead of them marched platoons of Jawans, ordinary soldiers, sailors and airmen. With rather less order, the family mourners followed in cars. Rajiv Gandhi’s was closely guarded. Anyone who tried to approach was swiftly turned back. The route led down the Rajpath, seen of so much imperial splendour and national grief. The funerals of Mahatma Gandhi and her father, Mr Nehru, had produced great throngs. Mrs Gandhi’s too produced great grief, but an altogether different scale.

On either side of the processional route, there were empty spaces. Those who came to mourn her could manage only a thin line. Between them for 7 miles through the city came the cortege, Mrs Gandhi’s body covered by rose petals but her face clearly visible.

But even while the funeral was going on, black smoke signalled that the arson and looting were continuing. More vehicles had been set on fire. More Sikhs were surrounded in a temple, fighting for their lives. The death toll since Mrs Gandhi’s assassination has been jumping by hundreds. It now stands at over a thousand. But there’s no guaranteeing that’s correct. The presence of the army with orders to shoot on site appears to be having a restraining influence.

But outbreaks are still occurring and the Sikhs complain bitterly that not enough is being done to protect them. A column of tanks was stationed in part of the city centre where violence has broken out.

Brian Hanrahan, BBC

Originally, the funeral procession had been passing through it. Today, the only army presence was not ceremonial. Protecting the hundred heads of state or their representatives has also been a major preoccupation of the police and army. Princess Anne represented the Queen at today’s ceremony. She’d been in India as President of the Save the Children Fund but will cut short her visit and return to London tonight. There wasn’t even enough transport for everyone. Mrs Thatcher at least had a car to herself. But the opposition leaders and Mr Thatcher had to share a minibus to get to Shantivana where the cremation was to take place.

The foreign leaders did not join the funeral procession but assembled to wait for it to arrive. Both the United States and the Soviet Union were represented. But Mrs Gandhi’s long tenure as India’s Prime Minister and one of the leaders of the non aligned movement attracted a galaxy of Presidents and Prime Ministers. Samora Machel of Mozambique, President Nyerere of Tanzania, Mr. Mugabe of Zimbabwe. So many leaders jumbled together required a lot of guarding. The cremation site was on the banks of the sacred River Jumna. Close by were the sites where her father, Mr Nehru and her younger son, Sanjay Gandhi were cremated. It was after Sanjay’s unexpected death that her other son, Rajiv was groomed to succeed her.

Mrs Gandhi was a Brahmin and the rites of her cremation were carried out according to the Hindu scriptures. It was for her family to carry her onto the platform. Once there, the Indian flag was removed and the funeral pyre built round her. Tradition demands that sandalwood log should be used because of the scent with which they burn. It’s also the task of the son to carry a flame round the pyre before lighting it The burning itself is a long process, speeded by adding ghee, clarified butter. Known to Hindus as one of the five Nectars. Hindus see death as shedding an old body like a suit of old clothes, ready for the soul to take on a new one. When the fire has done its work. The ashes are taken and scattered, symbolically returning the body to the elements.

For 18 years, Mrs. Gandhi had dominated India and its politics. She took it from a country in the grip of famine to one with nuclear weapons and rockets. She destroyed the old Congress Party and built her own. She went to war with Pakistan and created Bangladesh.

Brian Hanrahan, BBC

She was always controversy and was India’s only truly national figure. The criticism that may be made of her is that she left a country ill prepared to do without her. Now her son and the rest of India must learn to do so quickly.

The funeral of Mrs. Gandhi has also resulted in a flurry of diplomatic activity. With so many world leaders in one place there have been many opportunities for meetings. The American Secretary of State, George Schultz complained forcefully to the Soviet Prime Minister, Nikolai Tikhonov, about Russian press reports accusing the CIA of involvement in Mrs. Gandhi’s assassination. Mr. Tikhonov suggested the Americans had misread the Soviet press. President Zia of Pakistan will be seeing the new Indian Prime Minister tomorrow for what are regarded as important talks to improve relations between their countries.

Mrs. Thatcher said she admired Rajiv Gandhi’s quiet courage and he would have Britain’s support in times to come. She spoke of her enormous respect for Mrs. Gandhi’s work and the special kinship they had.

I think perhaps we both understood what to some people is a paradox. Namely that one can be warm, human, loving, knowing all of the little things of life and at the same time firm, determined and decisive. It was a paradox we both understood. We understood the loneliness of the work and therefore, whenever I spoke with Mrs. Gandhi, there was a quality that was not present when I spoke with other heads of government.

Mrs. Thatcher also said she was shocked by those British Sikhs who’d wanted Mrs. Gandhi killed. She called them a tiny, unrepresentative minority. And she indicated the government had wanted to prosecute Dr. Jajit Singh, leader of the Sikh Independence movement in Britain, for calling for Mrs. Gandhi’s assassination last June. But the police couldn’t find sufficient evidence. He said tonight he was under police protection after receiving death threats.

But today, Hindus and Sikhs were united in their anguish and grief for Mrs. Gandhi. In Southall, home of Britain’s largest Indian community. Since Mrs. Gandhi’s assassination, Hindus have come to their Vishwa Temple in Southall, to pay their respects. Today they also came to watch television coverage of her funeral in India.

Sharing in the Hindus grief, several members of the local Sikh community also came to the temple. Later they joined in the prayers for the immortality of the soul and the chance for peace as the temple began 24 hours of mourning which will continue until noon tomorrow. In Manchester, although Sikhs were invited to a Hindu memorial service, few chose to attend. But a local Sikh leader who did speak during the service appealed for calm. The politics of India, he said, shouldn’t be transferred to Britain.

Jan Leeming, BBC

The England Cricket Tour of India will almost certainly go ahead, but the first test will be cancelled, reducing the series to four matches. In the meantime, David Gower’s side are planning to fly from Delhi to Sri Lanka for a week’s match practise.”

Brian Hanrahan reporting in New Delhi on Mrs Gandhi’s funeral.