Tears rolled down from the eyes of Sitaram Mahto and Aarti Mahto as soon the body of their only son, Abhijit Mahto, who was shot dead near the Duke University Campus in Durham, USA, on January 18, arrived at their home in Saraikela-Kharswan district on Saturday.

Twenty-nine year-old Abhijit, a second year Ph D student in Duke's Pratt school of Engineering, was found in a pool of blood in his apartment on Anderson Street near the university campus by his local guardian on January 19.

Abhijit's body was brought to Gamariah, 20 km from Jamshedpur, by road after it reached Ranchi via Delhi on Saturday afternoon. The state government had made arrangements to bring the body.

Family members and relatives broke down as soon as Abhijit's body was taken inside the home for performing the rituals before taking it for cremation at Parvati Ghat in Bistupur, Jamshedpur.

The body, which was kept in a coffin and was brought in an ambulance from Ranchi, was kept at home over an hour for people to pay their tribute.

Road traffic on the main thoroughfare in Gamariah came to a standstill as huge crowd thronged near his house to have a glimpse of the body.

People from all walks of life, including politicians, top civil and police officials, took part in the funeral procession.

Abhijit's 13-year-old nephew Manik Chandra Mahto lit the funeral pyre.