KATHMANDU: Weeping relatives held funerals on Tuesday for loved ones at a sacred Hindu site in Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu, after their deaths in anti-graft protests last week that brought a change of government in the Himalayan nation. At least 72 people died in the unrest and the vandalism and arson that followed “Gen Z” protests by young people frustrated at a lack of opportunities and perceived government lethargy, with more than 2,100 injured.
Thousands of relatives and onlookers watched as smoke and ash wreathed the pyres of four cremated near the temple of Lord Pashupatinath in the capital, following Hindu tradition.
A national flag was placed on each coffin, while police gave them a guard of honour as a mark of respect.
“He will never return now,” said Rachana Khatiwada, a mother among them, who sobbed as she held a framed portrait of her 18-year-son Rashik, killed in front of parliament.
“He said he would not participate in the protests, watch from the outside and return home early,” she said.
Earlier, a truck had wended its way in solemn procession through the city carrying six coffins, with five more placed on separate vehicles garlanded with marigolds and banners, after hospital officials handed the bodies to relatives. Two ministers of Nepal’s new interim government joined the convoy. Helicopters carried the bodies of others killed in the protests to home towns outside Kathmandu.
Bina Maharjan said she prayed for the well-being of her brother Binod, 34, after hearing of the violence at the protests he was attending, only to be told of his death later in a telephone call from friends.
“We told him not to go for the protests,” Maharjan added. “But he insisted and went, only to get killed.”
She said a postmortem showed her brother had been hit by a bullet that passed through one cheek and emerged from the other, while a second stuck in his throat.
Nepal’s deadliest protests in decades erupted just as the country entered its peak tourist season, dealing a blow to businesses that had been preparing to welcome trekkers from around the globe to experience its world-famous trails. Shops, pubs and restaurants lining the neatly organized alleys of places like Thamel - Kathmandu’s bustling tourist hub - remained largely deserted, even after reopening in the aftermath of a violent anti-corruption protest.
Nepal’s tourism authority, hotel owners and trek organisers said arrivals had fallen by 30 per cent from this time last year, leading to bookings being cancelled.
“I am sitting outside idle because there are no tourists ... Many groups have cancelled in September,” said 49-year-old Ram Chandra Giri, who arranges trekking expeditions and owns a Japanese restaurant. He said 35 per cent of his guests had cancelled their bookings. Renu Baniya, a hotel owner, said all bookings had been completely cancelled. — Reuters
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