Last rites of Krishna Charan Shrestha, a Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmaker and former minister, who was murdered by Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) militants yesterday, were performed at the Pashupati Aryaghat in Kathmandu Sunday evening.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmaker Krishna Charan Shrestha

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmaker Krishna Charan Shrestha (Photo Courtesy: THT)
Leaders of political parties including RPP chief Pashupati Shumsher Rana, CPN (UML) general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, Speaker Subash Nemwang, Deputy Speaker Chitralekha Yadav, Nepali Congress vice-president Sushil Koirala, ministers and leaders of various political parties were present at the Pashupati Aryaghat to pay final tribute to late Shrestha.

His body was kept at the RPP central office at Chabahil before being taken for last rites.

Meanwhile, the government today formed a five-member committee headed by regional administrator of the Eastern Region, Shankar Lal Choudhary, to investigate into the murder of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmaker Krishna Charan Shrestha in Siraha yesterday.

The team will report to the government, within five days, regarding the progress in the police investigation into the murder as well as the measures to the adopted for security of VIPs.

Deputy Inspector General Keshab Baral, who heads the Eastern Regional Police Office, and Durga Basnet, a Senior Superintendent at the National Investigation Department, are other members of the probe committee.

Shrestha, an MP from constituency No. 3 in Siraha, was shot dead by three assailants in Belaha VDC while he was returning after morning walk Saturday morning. 73-year-old Shrestha was a RPP central committee member and former minister.

Two of the assailants were lynched by angry villagers while one local resident was shot dead by the assassins when he tried to save Shrestha. Reports said the JTMM, a breakaway faction of the CPN (Maoist), has claimed responsibility for the murder of the MP. The JTMM is involved in killings and abduction over the last few months in Terai districts.

The Nepal government, the Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the parliament, various political parties including the Nepali Congress, UML, Nepali Congress (Democratic) and human rights groups have denounced the murder.