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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, January 24: At 4.30 this evening, Shivani's body was consigned to flames at the Lodhi road crematorium. Mourning colleagues, relatives and friends watched as her husband Rakesh Bhatnagar lit the pyre.
Shivani, a principal correspondent with The Indian Express, was found murdered at her Patparganj residence yesterday. A large number of people from all walks of life turned up to pay their tributes to Shivani, who in a short but sparkling career, made her mark as an investigative journalist.
Earlier in the day, the body was shifted from Apollo Hospital to the All India Institute Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for the post-mortem. The body was then taken to the Navkunj Apartment flat of the Bhatnagars, which was overflowing with people who had come to offer their condolences.
The visitors included Union Home Minister L.K. Advani and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Expressing shock over the gruesome killing of Shivani, she said, ``It is very sad. My heart goes to the family, especially her three-month old baby.'' Since the incident happened inside their apartment, she said it is not a directly reflection on the law situation of Delhi. ``But I am waiting for the police report. Let that come out first,'' she added.
An equally shocked Advani said that he hoped the police would be able to solve the case soon. Both Dikshit and Advani laid wreaths on her body.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee expressed ``shock and grief over the gruesome murder'', adding that ``a bright and promising career had been cut short in very tragic circumstances''.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi also expressed her grief over the incident and ``conveyed her heartfelt condolences to members of the bereaved family''.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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