Families and ministers attend the state funerals of Gen Z protest victims at Pashupati Aryaghat in Kathmandu. Image: Ariana News.
(The Post News) – Nepal provided state funerals for the 72 people who were killed during last week’s violent youth-led protests on Tuesday, as thousands of people gathered in Kathmandu to pay their final respects. The funerals, which were held at Pashupati Aryaghat on the banks of the Bagmati River, came as a turning point in the country’s tumultuous politics in the wake of the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
The procession started from Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj, where the bodies were taken for postmortem. It moved through Chabahil and ended at Pashupati, where government ministers and grieving families took part in a mass cremation.
Banners and flowers were waved by chanting crowds that shouted slogans against repression and corruption. Coffins of the dead, including three policemen and 10 detainees, draped in national flags, were accorded martyr status by the interim government.
Families Demand Justice
The relatives of the victims were devastated and furious. “We are very shocked because we lost our beloved son,” said Yubaraj Neupane, whose 23-year-old son, Yogendra, was shot in the head near the parliament building.
Civil service aspirant Yogendra from southeast Nepal had travelled to Kathmandu for studies. Yogendra had gone to protests on September 8 with friends, hoping to see change. His family was unaware that he was present at the site until he phoned them when violence erupted. “Our beloved has lost his life demanding change,” his great-uncle Saubhagya stated. “His sacrifice and blood should be respected so that other young people won’t have to come onto the streets again in the coming days.”
At Pashupati Aryaghat, Energy Minister Kulman Ghising and Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal attended the final rites personally. Armed police saluted as ministers draped the coffins in the national flag. The fallen have now become part of Nepal’s democratic history,” Ghising said.
The interim cabinet on Monday announced September 17 as a national day of mourning, and the national flag will be flown at half-mast. The families of each of the deceased will get 1.5 million rupees ($11,250), one million as compensation and 500,000 for funeral expenses.
The government also promised free medical treatment to the injured and announced a Gen Z Memorial Park in remembrance of those who were killed.
Protests That Shook Nepal
The September 8–9 protests erupted after young activists mobilized online against corruption and a proposed social media shutdown. The security forces shot at protesters, and 19 were killed on the first day. The unrest worsened on September 9, with protesters torching party offices, government offices, and private property.
Two days later, 72 had died and more than 2,300 were injured, with 283 still hospitalized. The demonstrations had forced Prime Minister Oli to resign, triggering Nepal’s most severe political crisis since the 2006 people’s movement. The party offices of the Maoist Centre, CPN (UML), and Nepali Congress were attacked, along with the homes of some of the senior leaders.
Unlike previous protests, the Gen Z demonstrations were leaderless. Students, teenagers, and young professionals, connected by social media, led the way. Their summons was beyond party politics, calling for dignity, accountability, and opportunity in a new Nepal.
The government’s recognition of the victims as martyrs connects their movement to previous democratic movements, but this event was a turning point for a generation. As smoke billowed from the funeral pyres at Pashupati, thousands pledged that the sacrifice of these young people would determine Nepal’s political future.
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