CM Dhami pays tribute at Haridwar cremation ghat
Synopsis
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami personally visited Haridwar's Khadkhadi Cremation Ghat on August 14, 2026, to offer a floral wreath and prayers for Shanta Devi, the late mother of Dainik Jagran Uttarakhand state editor Manoj Jha, and to console the bereaved family.
Key Takeaways
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami personally visited Khadkhadi Cremation Ghat, Haridwar on August 14, 2026 .
He offered a floral wreath (pushpachakra) to Shrimati Shanta Devi , who passed away suddenly.
Shanta Devi was the mother of Manoj Jha , Uttarakhand state editor of Dainik Jagran .
Dhami prayed for the departed soul's peace and for the family's strength to bear the loss.
The visit reflects standard protocol of senior Indian political leaders making personal condolence visits to prominent media figures' families.
In a quiet, solemn act of solidarity, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami travelled to Haridwar on Friday, August 14, 2026, to pay his last respects to Shrimati Shanta Devi, the mother of Dainik Jagran Uttarakhand state editor Shri Manoj Jha, who passed away suddenly.
The Chief Minister's Office confirmed that Dhami reached the Khadkhadi Cremation Ghat in Haridwar upon receiving news of the sudden bereavement. He offered a floral wreath — pushpachakra — to the departed, observed a moment of prayer, and expressed his condolences in person to the grieving family.
A prayer for peace, a hand on a grieving family's shoulder
The official post noted that Dhami prayed for the departed soul's peace, seeking that the Almighty grant her a place at His feet — a phrase drawn from Hindu devotional tradition. He also prayed that the bereaved family be given the strength to bear this profound loss.
Shanta Devi's sudden passing left the family with little time to prepare. The Chief Minister's personal presence at the ghat, rather than a routine message, underscored the gesture's intent: to stand with a journalist's family at its most private moment of grief.
Manoj Jha and Dainik Jagran's footprint in Uttarakhand
Manoj Jha leads the Uttarakhand state desk of Dainik Jagran, one of India's largest Hindi dailies with a deep readership across the Hindi heartland. The paper's Uttarakhand edition is a significant voice in the state's public discourse, making Jha a prominent figure in the regional media landscape.
Chief ministers across India routinely make such condolence visits to journalists or their families — a protocol that cuts across party lines and is standard practice in state-level political culture. Dhami's visit to Haridwar fits this established pattern, though the personal presence at a cremation ghat carries a weight that a social media post alone cannot.
Haridwar, one of Hinduism's holiest cities on the banks of the Ganga, is itself a place where grief and spiritual solace meet. That the final rites were held here adds a layer of quiet significance to an already solemn occasion.
For a family navigating sudden loss, the Chief Minister's arrival at the ghat was, above all, a human gesture — grief acknowledged, not just administered.
Point of View
Human ties with regional media leadership. In Uttarakhand's compact political ecosystem, such gestures reinforce the relationship between the ruling establishment and influential Hindi press voices. While the visit is ceremonial in nature, it is also a visible reminder that press-government relations in Indian states are often cultivated through personal, not merely institutional, channels. The pattern holds across party lines, but each such visit is read locally as a statement of proximity and respect.
NationPress
14 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did CM Dhami go to Haridwar on August 14, 2026?
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Haridwar's Khadkhadi Cremation Ghat to pay his last respects to Shanta Devi, the mother of Dainik Jagran Uttarakhand state editor Manoj Jha, who passed away suddenly.
Who is Manoj Jha of Dainik Jagran?
Manoj Jha is the Uttarakhand state editor of Dainik Jagran, one of India's largest Hindi daily newspapers with significant readership across northern India.
What is Khadkhadi Cremation Ghat in Haridwar?
Khadkhadi Cremation Ghat is one of the cremation sites in Haridwar, a major Hindu pilgrimage city on the banks of the Ganga in Uttarakhand.
Who is Pushkar Singh Dhami?
Pushkar Singh Dhami is the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, serving since July 2021 as a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Is it common for Indian chief ministers to visit journalists' families for condolences?
Yes, senior Indian political leaders, including chief ministers, routinely make personal condolence visits to journalists or their immediate family members as part of standard protocol for engaging the regional press community.
