NEW DELHI – Authorities in India have declared a seven-day mourning period to honor Manmohan Singh, officials said Friday, as politicians and public paid tributes to the country’s former prime minister widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program.
Officials canceled all cultural and entertainment events for the week, with government buildings flying the national flag at half staff across India. Singh, who died late Thursday at age 92, is scheduled to be cremated on Saturday.
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Singh's body was put in a glass casket, adorned with flowers and wrapped in the Indian flag, as leaders and mourners paid their respects. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his home and offered condolences to his family.
Later, Modi in a video message said Singh’s life “was a reflection of his honesty and simplicity.”
“He saved the country from an economic crisis by providing a road towards a new economy. As a prime minister, his contribution towards the development and progress of the country will always be remembered,” Modi said.
A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh was prime minister for 10 years and leader of the Congress Party in the Parliament’s upper house, earning a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. He was chosen to fill the role in 2004 by Sonia Gandhi, the widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Singh was reelected in 2009, but his second term as prime minister was clouded by financial scandals and corruption charges over the organization of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This led to the Congress Party’s crushing defeat in the 2014 national election by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
Singh adopted a low profile after relinquishing the post of prime minister.