Family at New Delhi crematorium for comedian Raju Srivastava's last rites

Actor-comedian Raju Srivastava's cremation will be held on Thursday after he breathed his last on Wednesday morning. He was only 58.

The TV star suffered a heart attack while working out in the gym last month on August 10. He was undergoing treatment at New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences. The late actor's health was frail condition during his 41-day-long ICU stay. He was kept on a ventilator after he was admitted to the hospital following a heart attack.

According to his family, ANI reported that the last rites will take place at Kashmere Gate's Nigam Bodh Ghat in New Delhi. The late actor's wife


ANI said that a crowd gathered for Srivastava's final journey when his mortal remains were taken to the site. The Srivastavas were following the ambulance, decorated with white flowers.

Industry friends Sunil Pal, Ahsaan Qureshi and Surendra Sharma reached the crematorium in the morning to pay their respects. Director Madhur Bhandarkar and Uttar Pradesh's Minister of Tourism & Culture Jaiveer Singh were also spotted.

Soon after the news of his demise broke, people across the country paid their heartfelt tributes.

President Droupadi Murmu said Srivastava's untimely demise is extremely sad and offered her condolences to his family and fans.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered condolences to the family and admirers of the late comedian. His tweet read, "Raju Srivastava brightened our lives with laughter, humour and positivity. He leaves us too soon but he will continue to live in the hearts of countless people thanks to his rich work over the years. His demise is saddening."


Fans, friends and relatives gathered outside the Kanpur residence of the stand-up comedian to pay their heartfelt tributes. The Srivastavas reside in the Kidwai Nagar area in the city.

The comedian, who is originally from Kanpur, left for Mumbai in 1982.

Meanwhile, the postmortem was performed using a novel technique, which is devoid of dissections. A virtual autopsy is done with help of high-tech digital X-rays and CT scans. It is less time-consuming as compared to the traditional postmortem and is non-invasive allowing the body to be released for cremation or burial sooner.

Srivastav was in the entertainment industry since the 1980s and shot to fame after participating in the first season of the reality stand-up comedy show 'The Great Indian Laughter Challenge' in 2005. After dabbling in movies, he also tried his hand at politics.

The late artiste is survived by his wife and two children.