Girija Prasad Koirala put to rest at Pashupati Aryaghat

Girija Prasad Koirala put to rest

KATHMANDU, MARCH 21

Amid unprecedented and overwhelming participation of people from all walks of lives, Girija Prasad Koirala’s deceased body was cremated at Pashupati Aryaghat on Sunday evening. The first head of state’s final rite was done with full state honour.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala lighted funeral pyre of her father at Pashupati Aryaghat on the bank of Bagmati River in Kathmandu at 7:50 p.m. The funeral pyre was prepared at the No. 1 crematory, where no others except the royalties were allowed to be cremated until the country was declared republic in May 28, 2008.

 

The four-hour long funeral procession, participated by tens of thousands of people, reached Aryagat at 6:50 passing through Sundhara, Ratnapark, Bagbazar, Dilli Bazar, Maitidevi, Old Baneshwor, Battisputali and Gausala. The environment looked gloomy and the attendants’ eyes lachrymose as the funeral pyre burnt.

 

Before the funeral procession, the deceased body was kept at the largest Dasarath Stadium to allow people pay their last tribute. Tens of thousands of people lined up in serpentine queues outside the stadium since early Sunday to offer their last homage.

 

Koirala’s deceased body was taken to Nepali Congress party headquarter at Sanepa from his daughter’s residence at Mandikatar, where he breathed his last.

 

When the decorated vehicle carrying Koirala’s dead body arrived at party headquarters Sanepa, at 8:a.m. with procession, party members greeted with slogan, “long life Girijababu”. After keeping just 15- minutes at the party office, Koirala’s body was rushed to Dasharath Stadium. All along the way, party workers and people were throwing garlands and flowers to truck.

 

The crowd had already changed into a human sea as the vehicles carrying Koirala’s casket moved to Dashrath Stadium for pubic tribute. Thousands of people were already waiting at the Stadium. “I have never seen such a huge gathering at this place,” said Suresh Shreshta, a businessman in Tripureshwor area.

 

When Koirla’s body was kept at the Stadium, Prime Minsiter Madhav Kuamr Nepal draped the national flag on his body while Nepal Army saluted him with guard of state honor. As the people kept on flooding in the stadium, NC extended the time for the last tribute by an hour. People flooded in to the Stadium continuously for seven hours, according to Police Spokesman Bigyan Raj Sharma. He said around four hundred thousand people attended at public tribute programme.

 

Representatives of international community, prominent leaders from India, including Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar arrived at the Stadium and paid their last tribute to Koirala.

 

Thousands of police personnel, and volunteers from the NC and other organizations were deployed to manage the mass coming and going out of the stadium. There were three gates opened for general people, while one was managed for VIPs, according to Nepal.