Mortal remains of late Minister Adhikari being airlifted to Pokhara

Published On: March 1, 2019 11:57 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, March 1: The mortal remains of the Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari, who was killed in Wednesday's chopper crash in Taplejung, is being airlifted to his home town Pokhara on Friday.

A condolence event is going to be held at the Exhibition Centre in Pokhara to offer tribute to late Adhikari, according to officials.

Ram Sharan Basnet, the minister for physical infrastructure and development of Gandaki Province, said that Adhikari will be cremated at Ramghat with state honor. Adhikari was elected the member of House of Representatives from Kaski Constituency-2.

Top leaders of the Nepal Communist Party, Ishwar Pokharel, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Bamdev Gautam are scheduled to join the funeral ceremony of late Adhikari at Ramghat in Pokhara today.

Earlier, the mortal remains of late Minister Adhikari and six others were kept at Tudikhel in Kathmandu for final tributes. Thousands of aggrieved people including top political figures joined a public condolence ceremony at Tudikhel.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Nepal Communist Party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, cabinet ministers and leaders from ruling and opposition parties paid final tributes to Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari and six others who died in the Air Dynasty crash in Taplejung on Wednesday. On the occasion, Prime Minister Oli draped Minister Adhikari's body with national flag.

The remains of the deceased in the helicopter crash were kept at Tudikhel from 8 am to 11 am today.

After public tribute, the dead bodies were handed over to the members of respective families today. Seven people on board died after an Air Dynasty helicopter crashed in Taplejung shortly after taking off from Pathivara Temple.

The deceased include Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Tourism Minister Adhikari, his security guard Arjun Ghimire, aviation officials Birendra Kumar Shrestha and Dhrubadas Bhochhibhoya, government official Yubaraj Dahal and pilot Pravakar KC.