The cremation ceremony of late Mong Raja Paihala Prue Chowdhury was held yesterday in Khagrachhari.
Hundreds of people started to gather at the residence of the late Mong Raja at Madhubazar (zero mile) in the hill district from the morning to pay homage to him.
He was cremated at 3:00pm amid blasting of firecrackers after his personal security forces gave him a guard of honour.
His son Saching Prue Chowdhury first set off firecrackers to start the cremation as per the Mong ritual.
Later, Khagrachhari District Council Chairman Manindra Lal Tripura, Rangamati District Council Chairman Jagotjyoti Chakma, Bandarban District Council Chairman Prof Thansama Lusai, Lt Col Samad Chowdhury on behalf of the Bangladesh Armed Forces and CHT Chief Coordinator of UNDP Robert Stalman also set off firecrackers.
Superintendent of Police Mohammad Quaiumuzzaman Khan, Deputy Commissioner AKM Khairul Alam, Khagrachhari Municipality Mayor Joynal Abedin, and Bangladesh Marma Sanghati Oikya Parishad President Kongchari Master, among others, were present.
Paihala Prue Chowdhury was killed on October 22 in a road accident at Patachhara near Ramgarh in Khagrachhari.
All educational institutions in Khagrachhari remained closed yesterday to show respect to the deceased king.
Crown Prince Saching Prue Chowdhury delivered a speech prior to the cremation.
"The Raja had always worked for the welfare of the people and was concerned about their socio-economic development," he said adding that his father had repeatedly requested the government and various non-government organisations to take up development projects in the hill tracts.
Paihala Prue Chowdhury, who was the 7th Mong king, is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.
After the death of the then Mong king and his uncle Neuprue Sain Chowdhury in 1984, the government recognised Paihala Prue as Neuprue's nominee, local sources said.
Paihala was working as the district information officer at that time. He became the Mong Circle Chief, locally known as Mong Raja, in 1991. The government recognised him as the Mong Raja after he won a legal battle with Unika Devi, the stepdaughter of Neuprue Sain, in 1998.