Indian president to attend Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu will be attending the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the Government of India from September 17-19.

The former head of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations will be laid to rest at Westminster Abbey on September 19. She died at Balmoral Castle summer residence in Scotland on September 8.

External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar has already visited the British High Commission in New Delhi on September 12 to convey India's condolences. A statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs said that the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II played a crucial role in the welfare of the people in the Commonwealth of Nations.

The country also observed a day of national mourning on September 11. Many Indians expressed confusion at the government's mourning as the Centre has repeatedly boosted the idea of moving on from the colonial past.

Political consultant Purva Mittal told The Quint that the Indian government is following protocol by mourning because India received membership of the Commonwealth of Nations without swearing allegiance to the Crown. The official mourning is based on international relations. The Commonwealth of Nations is a political association of 56 member states, most of which are former territories of the British Empire.

While many Indian netizens offered condolences to the monarch's family, others expressed indifference and slammed the colonial legacy. Some even brought up Kohinoor's return. Others reiterated that Queen Elizabeth II, in her seven-decade-long reign, never apologised for her country's crimes.