Forgot your password?
Koirala Disappears In Flame
By KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
March 22, 2010: daughter Sujata Koirala has set fire to the funereal pyre of the deceased Girija Prasad Koirala at Aryaghat in Kathmandu at 8:45 PM on March 21, 2010. The Nepal Army played a national anthem and gave fifteen-gun salute to Koirala at the time when Ms. Koirala took a torch and went around the funeral pyre three times before setting fire on father Koirala.
As a former acting head of state, Koirala received the state funeral and got the honor of getting the funeral site reserved for the head of state. He had been the acting head of state cum interim Prime Minister from 2006 to 2008.
Before reaching Aryaghat, the Nepal Army truck carrying the casket of Girija Prasad Koirala has stuck at Batisputali due to the rush of people paying the last tribute to Koirala and ultimately reached the destination at about 7:30 P.M.
Thousands of people have been waiting for the casket of Koirala at Aryaghat patiently. Politicians, former and incumbent ministers, and Indian politicians have been waiting for paying the final tribute to Koirala at Aryaghat.
The casket carrying Nepal Army has taken more than four hours traveling from the Dasharath Stadium to Aryaghat. Hundreds of people have watched the final journey of Koirala from the rooftops and standing on the streets and sidewalks.
Before leaving the Dasharath Stadium, the casket-carrying Nepal Army truck has made a circle at the stadium to give the people assembled there the final glimpse of Koirala. Then, it slowly and solemnly has moved on from the stadium to Bhotahity, turned right and took a straight course to Baneswore and then turned left to Batisputali and finally reached Aryaghat.
Early in the morning, the casket of Koirala was taken to the office of Nepali Congress party office at Sanepa in Kathmandu and then to the stadium for the public paying tribute to Koirala. In view of the mass of people coming to pay the last tribute to Koirala, the time for the public display was extended by 45 minutes and kept the door of the stadium opened until 2:45 PM.
At the stadium, Indian politicians representing various political parties and Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee paid the tribute to Koirala and wrote notes on the condolence book placed there.
Thousand of people carrying the flags of the Nepali Congress and the Nepal Students’ Union formed the funeral procession that followed the casket-carrying Nepal Army truck to Aryaghat. They have chanted, ‘Girijababu campaigned for peace and constitution’. Unfortunately, Girijababu has missed both.
Daughter Sujata Koirala, former Prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Acting President of Nepali Congress Sushil Koirala and parliamentary party leader of Nepali Congress Ram Chandra Poudel have accompanied Koirala sitting around the casket in the Nepal Army truck traveling on the way to Aryaghat.
