Nagpur: Against the normal Hindu rites where the deceased is consigned to flames, the followers, well-wishers and family members of Harishchandra Dhawde had earlier decided against burning him in Gangabai Ghat. They had decided to take the body to their ancestral farm land situated in Chandmari, Behind Swaminarayan Temple in Wathoda and later on erect a tomb. However, the family members insisted on consigning the body to flames.
One could see the love and affection that he had earned by the number of followers, well-wishers, friends and family members who had come on hundreds of four-wheelers from as far as Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh. People on two-wheelers which numbered in hundreds also took part in the funeral procession.
Thousands of people including some prominent personalities joined the funeral procession of gangster and Satta King Harishchandra Dhawde who died of lung complications in Wockhardt Hospital on Thursday night. The funeral procession commenced from Dhawde Mohalla near Garoba Maidan on Friday afternoon and passed through the entire area and nearby localities. The last rites were held at a field in Chandmari on Wathoda Road. The body-carrying truck was stopped at many places en route and supporters and well-wishers paid their last respects to the late gangster by garlanding his body.
The funeral pyre was lit by his two sons, Pawan and Pankaj, and younger brother Anil Dhawde in the presence of thousands of people including some political leaders, former-present Corporators, elements from crime world. Adequate number of policemen were deployed to maintain law and order as well as to prevent any untoward incident. When the late gangster spent 13-14 years in jail in the past, he was called “King of the Jail.”
COPD was the cause of death
While speaking exclusively with Nagpur Today, the Station Head of Wockhardt Hospitals Sujata said that Harishchandra Dhawade aged 61 years was admitted on August 17, 2016 and was under treatment of Dr. Atul Somani in ICU with breathlessness. His was a known case of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The prognosis was guarded. Harishchandra Dhawade expired last night at 9 pm. The cause of death was severe COPD and Acute Respiratory Failure.
