Kathmandu, February 10

Late president of the Nepali Congress and former prime minister Sushil Koirala was cremated with state honours at the Pashupati Aryaghat today.

Thousands of people observed silence as Koirala’s nephews Atul and Sudhanshu lit the funeral pyre on the banks of the Bagmati River. Koirala, who never married, had passed away on Tuesday at his residence in Maharajgunj.

Before his funeral pyre was lit, a guard of honour was provided by Nepali Police personnel, who also played the National Anthem in the honour of late Koirala.

Nepali Army personnel offered a 13-cannon salute in his honour.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar, Chairman of Unified CPN-Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN-UML leaders Jhalanath Khanal and Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepali Congress leaders, including Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ramchandra Paudel, ministers, leaders of political parties, chiefs of security bodies, high-ranking government officials, civil society leaders and thousands of people attended the funeral.

Before the funeral procession began at 2:30pm from Dasharath Stadium today, leaders, foreign diplomats, dignitaries, party workers and well-wishers paid homage to Koirala.

The procession marched to Pashupatinath temple via Thapathali, Putalisadak, Gyaneshwor and Gaushala. His body had been kept at Dasharath stadium for friends and well-wishers to pay their tributes since yesterday afternoon.

The PM had draped the National Flag on the body of late Koirala at the stadium.

Escorted by the Nepali Army soldiers and followed by thousands of followers, the vehicle that carried Koirala’s body crawled to the Aryaghat.

The police faced a tough time managing the human flood in the stadium, funeral procession and funeral service. People were seen standing in the middle of Bagmati river and on the roofs of nearby buildings and trees in the Aryaghat area to observe the funeral.

The procession witnessed hundreds of thousands of mourners and was led by NC’s acting president Ramchandra Paudel, senior Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, general secretaries Prakash Man Singh and Krishna Prasad Sitaula and NC leaders from Koirala family -- Shashanka Koirala, Shekhar Koirala and Sujata Koirala.

Thousands of people standing on the roadside and rooftops during the procession offered flowers as the procession went by.

The mourners holding placards with late Koirala’s images chanted ‘long live Sushil Da’. Banners with slogans ‘adieu Sushil Da’, ‘tireless leader’, ‘crusader of democracy’ and ‘man of simplicity’ were seen in the Aryaghat area.

Thousands of people thronged the Pashupatinath area to catch a glimpse of Koirala’s final rites.

Although the NC had planned to use electric crematorium, the plan was cancelled today after his family wished to cremate him on a traditional funeral pyre as per Hindu tradition.

Koirala’s Nephews Atul Koirala and Sudhanshu will observe 13-day mourning rituals at late Koirala’s residence in Maharajgunj, according to family sources.

After Koirala’s demise, Paudel and Deuba are likely to be the key contenders for the party’s president’s post in the 13th National General Convention slated for March 3-6.