Mumbai, Aug 24: Seventy-three years after he died, freedom fighter Shyamji Krishna Verma's ashes were returned to his homeland from Geneva, with Chief Minister Narendra Modi personally overseeing the arrangements. The asthi yatra or the chariot, carrying the ashes of the late revolutionary, went around Mumbai city's Gujarati and Kacchi dominated areas today. The yatra will travel from the city to Gujarat and reach Mandvi--Verma's home place—in a week's time. Verma, who advocated an armed struggle for independence, is said to have inspired Hindutva icons like Veer Sarvarkar.

The freedom fighter died in Geneva, Switzerland in 1930 with a wish that his ashes be brought back only when India attained freedom. Bureau Report