Kavre, April 11:

The last rites of Shiva Hari Kunwar, who was shot dead by security personnel on Sunday in Banepa, were performed at Ugratirtha in Banepa today. The last rites followed a funeral procession. Kunwar was shot dead by police when he was watching a demonstration from the rooftop of his house.

Kunwar (22), from Walting VDC-7, Tare, owned a cassette shop in Banepa. Post mortem of his body was carried out only this morning in the Sheer Memorial Hospital. His body was received by his maternal uncle Ananta Kunwar and brother-in-law Hari Kumar Sapkota. A large number of locals took part in the funeral procession and paid tributes to Kunwar.

Though the local administration had pressed Kunwar’s relatives to carry out his last rites at Chandeshworighat, which lies outside the curfew area, the participants took the body to Ugratirthaghat for the last rites. Kunwar’s body was covered with the flag of Nepali Congress throughout the funeral procession.

None of his family member could attend the funeral ceremony due to the general strike and curfew. The funeral pyre was lit jointly by his maternal uncle and brother-in-law.

Meanwhile, the seven political parties at a meeting today declared Kunwar the second martyr of the ongoing movement for democracy.