Kathmandu, Sep 16: Funerals of some of the victims of Gen Z protests were performed on Tuesday at Pashupati Aryaghat in Kathmandu with state honour, while some bodies were taken to various districts for cremation.
Four bodies were taken to Pashupatinath near the bank of the Bagmati river for cremation with state honour, an official at the Pashupati said.
Minister for Energy and Physical Infrastructure Kulman Ghising and Minister for Home Affairs Om Prakash Aryal joined the family members of the deceased for the last rites.
The funeral procession started from the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj of Kathmandu, where the bodies were kept for postmortem, and ended at Pashupati with thousands present to pay tribute.
Six dead bodies were taken outside Kathmandu to various districts for cremation after their postmortem on Tuesday, the officials said.
The rest of the bodies were handed over to the family members after the postmortem on Sunday and Monday.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Sushila Karki had announced that those killed during the Gen Z protest on September 8 and 9 would be declared “martyrs”.
The government has announced NRs. 1.5 million compensation each to the family of the victims.
There will be a public holiday on Wednesday to mourn the death of the protestors. The national flag will be put at half-mast.
Seventy-two people, including 3 policemen and 10 prisoners, were among the dead during the violent protests on September 8 and 9 that toppled the government led by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.
Meanwhile, several ministries in Nepal began assessing the damage caused during the Gen Z protests, My Republica news portal reported on Tuesday.
They have started collecting data on burnt cars, damaged equipment and properties.
The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) has formed a nine-member damage assessment committee to gather information on losses at the ministry’s departmental, divisional, and project offices, it reported.
The MoPIT building sustained minor damage during the protests.
The main office of the Department of Roads (DoR) at Babarmal, reconstructed just two years ago for NRs 15 million, saw significant damage with many burned vehicles.
DoR continued road construction and maintenance work nationwide despite the damage caused to its offices. “Damage and destruction have not halted our work anywhere. Road construction and maintenance continue,” My Republica quoted a DoR employee as saying.
Indian Ambassador calls on PM Karki with Modi’s message
Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava on Tuesday called on Nepal’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Sushila Karki at her office in Singha Durbar here and conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory message to her.
Ambassador Srivastava conveyed the congratulatory message from Prime Minister Modi to his Nepalese counterpart on her appointment as the leader of the interim government, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry posted on X.
In the congratulatory message, PM Modi “expressed India’s commitment to work together for further strengthening the close bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two neighbouring countries,” it added.
Karki became Nepal’s first woman prime minister on Sunday, ending days of political uncertainty after the ouster of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli following youth-led ‘Gen Z’ protests against his government over corruption and a government ban on social media.
The new government is mandated to conduct fresh elections on March 5, 2026. (PTI)