Late Tourism Minister Adhikari’s last rites performed; Prez, PM offer tributes to chopper crash victims

Kathmandu / Mar 01: The final rites of late Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari – who lost his life in Taplejung chopper crash on Wednesday – have been performed with state honours at Ramghat in Kaski today.

Crestfallen Kaski denizens and politicians marched in a funeral procession through Pokhara and reached Ramghat to pay their last tributes to Adhikari.

Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force personnel marked the late leader’s demise with a 61-gun-salute before the latter was cremated at the banks of Seti river.

Elder son of the late minister, Biraj Adhikari, lit the funeral pyre of their father as per Hindu traditions, accompanied by the minister’s spouse and his younger son.

Mortal remains of late Adhikari had been kept at Pokhara Exhibition Centre for final tributes since today morning which was followed by the funeral procession.

Late Minister Adhikari’s father Indra Prasad Adhikari, mother Laxmi Adhikari and wife Bidhya Adhikari had offered their heartfelt tributes, along with political leaders, general public, and well-wishers.

Six other persons lost their lives in the fatal crash including pilot of the helicopter Captain Prabhakar KC, tourism entrepreneur Aang Tshiring Sherpa, Under-Secretary at the Prime Minister’s office Yubaraj Dahal, Deputy Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Birendra Shrestha, CAAN Director Dhruba Das Bhochhibhaya, and security personnel Arjun Ghimire.

President, Prime Minister offer tributes to chopper crash victims

President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli offered tributes to the seven victims of Wednesday’s helicopter crash, including Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari.

The bodies of Air Dynasty helicopter crash victims have been kept at open theatre in Tundikhel since Friday morning for tributes. The bodies were taken to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, for post-mortem and identification, after they were airlifted from Taplejung on Thursday.

Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun and House Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara, other ministers and senior government officials, and general public paid their last respects to all those killed in the helicopter accident.

The Air Dynasty helicopter crashed at Sisne Bhir in Taplejung on Wednesday while returning to Kathmandu from Pathibhara.

Along with Adhikari, Prominent tourism entrepreneur Ang Tshiring Sherpa, managing director of Yeti Airlines; Birendra Prasad Shrestha, deputy director general of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN); Dhurba Bhochhibhoya, deputy director of CAAN; Yubaraj Dahal, a personal aide to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, and Arjun Kumar Ghimire, a Nepal Army official, died in the crash.

Ram Sharan Basnet, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Development of Gandaki Province, said that Adhikari’s body will be kept at Exhibition Centre in Pokhara, his hometown, after it is airlifted from Kathmandu this afternoon.

According to Basnet, Adhikari will be cremated at Ramghat with state honour. Adhikari was elected the member of House of Representatives from Kaski Constituency-2.