Sonali Phogat's Last Rites Held, Teenage Daughter Yashodhara Lights Funeral Pyre

Actor and politician Sonali Phogat’s funeral took place in Hisar, Haryana amid a crowd of family and supporters. The 42-year-old Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader passed away on August 22 in Goa. The politician had travelled to Goa with her staff members.

The BJP leader Sonali Phogat was cremated on Friday people reportedly shouted slogans calling for justice for Phogat. The photos from the last rites showed Phogat’s daughter Yashodhara shouldering her mother’s bier and performing the ritual.

Sonali Phogat Funeral

Traditionally, the last rites are performed by the deceased’s male heirs or any male member of the family. Phogat’s daughter Yashodhara lit the funeral pyre at the cremation ground.

Politician Kuldeep Bishnoi who had defeated Phogat in the 2019 elections reached the crematorium to pay tribute to the late politician. A BJP flag was placed on Phogat’s body as a sign of respect.

Phogat’s body was brought to her farmhouse in Dhandur from the mortuary in Hisar Civil Hospital. After that, her body was brought to the Rishi Nagar cremation ground, during which Yashodhara shouldered the bier.

Sonali Phogat’s Death

The BJP leader Sonali Phogat passed away on August 22 in Goa. The initial reports pointed to cardiac arrest as the cause of death. However, an investigation took a turn after the autopsy report revealed “multiple blunt force injuries” on the body. The Goa police opened a murder investigation into the case.

Phogat was taken to the St Anthony Hospital in Anjuna, North Goa after she complained about feeling uneasy.

Her family raised questions about the cause of Phogat’s death and levelled accusations against her personal assistant Sundhir Sangwan and bodyguard Sukhwinder Singh. Phogat’s sister Raman said, “She had said she was feeling uneasy. She sensed as if something was not right as if some conspiracy was being played against her. Later in the morning, we received news that she was no more.”

As per police reports, CCTV recording found that Phogat's personal assistant forced her to drink a substance in a water bottle. The accused Sukhwinder Singh and Sudhir Sangwan confessed that they intentionally mixed obnoxious chemicals into a liquid and forced her to drink it. The two accused were arrested on Thursday.

Suggested Reading: Sonali Phogat Murder Case Investigation: 10 Things We Know So Far