Funeral held for India's vice-president

Kant (l) in one of his last public engagements

Thousands of people have attended the state funeral in Delhi of India's widely respected Vice-President, Krishan Kant.

Mr Kant, who was 75, died of a heart attack on Saturday.

His body was borne through the streets on a flower-strewn gun carriage accompanied by a military escort to the site of the cremation ceremony.

A 42-gun salute was fired as the funeral pyre was lit by Mr Kant's eldest son.

The traditional Hindu funeral ceremony was attended by past and present national leaders including the new Indian President, APJ Abdul Kalam and the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.

State mourning

The Indian Government has declared a three-day period of mourning, with all official entertainment cancelled as a mark of respect.

The government has ordered all flags to be flown at half mast.

Mr Kant's five-year term as vice-president of India, a largely ceremonial post which presides over the upper house of parliament, had been due to end in August.

His death came as a shock because he had not been unwell and had no history of major medical problems, his office said.

Born in the northern Punjab state in February 1927, Mr Kant studied science at the Benaras Hindu University and worked as a scientist before entering the upper house of parliament in 1966.

Long career

He had fought for independence from Britain, and his official biography states that he served time in prison during British colonial rule for his part in the struggle.

He later became governor of the southern Andhra Pradesh state before becoming vice-president and strongly supported India's nuclear weapons programme.

At one point he was mooted as a possible successor to former President KR Narayanan, but most political parties supported retired missile scientist APJ Abdul Kalam, who was sworn in earlier this week.

Mr Kant was also one of the founders of the People's Union of Civil Liberties, an influential human rights group in India, and wrote for several newspapers.

He is survived by his wife, Suman, a prominent women's rights campaigner, one daughter and two sons.