Former president Pranab Mukherjee has been awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour in the country.

Along with him, Assamese singer and singer Bhupen Hazarika and Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader and social activist Nanaji Deshmukh were awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously.

BCCL/ FILE

Congratulating this year’s awardees, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described former President Mukherjee an “outstanding statesman of our times”.