‘Rajmata’ Sushila Kumari of erstwhile Bikaner royal family passes away at 94

Bikaner: A member of the erstwhile Bikaner royal family, “Rajmata” Sushila Kumari, died owing to a prolonged illness on Friday night. She was 94.

Her last rites will be performed with full royal honours on Sunday and the body has been kept at the Junagarh fort in Bikaner for people to have a last glimpse of her, family sources said.

The deceased’s granddaughter and incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Bikaner East, Siddhi Kumari, paid a visit to her ailing grandmother on Friday night at the hospital where she was admitted.

After the death of Karni Singh in 1988, Sushila Kumari was looking after the affairs of the erstwhile royal family. CM Ashok Gehlot BJP chief Satish Poonia, former CM Vasundhara Raje and other leaders expressed grief over her death.