The nation remembered Mahatma Gandhi on his 75th death anniversary on Monday with President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering floral tributes to the 'Father of the Nation' at his memorial Raj Ghat. His death anniversary is observed as ‘Martyrs Day.’
Meanwhile, Commuters travelling towards central Delhi from the eastern parts of the national Capital and Noida faced heavy traffic due to VIP movement towards and away from Rajghat on Monday.
According to police, those commuting via ITO, Pragati Maidan and Barapulla will face heavy traffic as these routes are completely choked. Besides VIP movement, an accident involving multiple vehicles has t led to a huge traffic jam in the area with the onlookers and school students making videos of the pile-up of vehicles. The impact of the accident was such that all the buses, car and autorickshaw involved in the accident were damaged. Later, the traffic congestion was cleared on the stretch.
Earlier, Vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri also paid homage to the Mahatma.
"I bow to Bapu on his Punya Tithi and recall his profound thoughts. I also pay homage to all those who have been martyred in the service of our nation. Their sacrifices will never be forgotten and will keep strengthening our resolve to work for a developed India," Prime Minister Modi tweeted. A two-minute silence was observed in honour of Mohandas Karmchand Gandhi, affectionately known as Bapu, who was assassinated on this day in 1948.
An interfaith prayer was held at the Raj Ghat and Mahatma Gandhi's favourite devotional songs were played. A gun salute was given at the memorial where school students and people from different walks of life gathered to pay respects to Mahatma Gandhi. The father of the nation, was shot dead by Nathuram Godse on this day in 1948.
Meanwhile, the VIP movement at Rajghat led to massive traffic jams during the peak hours on Monday. "From Akshardham to Rajghat, there is heavy traffic jam. There were points when the vehicle was at a standstill for at least 45 minutes. Since I had an important meeting to attend in Connaught Place, I had to reach on time but due to the traffic snarls, I could not make it on time," said Anil Agrawal, a commuter.
Another officer-goer said, "Even though I started my commute on time, I was stuck at Rajghat for over an hour. There was absolutely no movement on the stretch." Heavy traffic jams were also reported from Dwarka where commuters said the vehicles were moving at a snail's pace.