India, Sept. 16 -- "Veer shaheed amar rahos, shaheed ko sapana pura hos" (Long live the martyrs, may their dreams be fulfilled) - the chants echoed through the streets of Kathmandu on Tuesday, as citizens lined the roads to pay their respects to the students killed in last week's firing during the Gen Z protests.

The interim government officially declared the students martyrs, arranged a heavily guarded convoy, and permitted a funeral procession that included a guard of honour provided by the Armed Police Force of Nepal (APF). Two of the three cabinet ministers also joined the procession as it made its way through the capital.

Draped in Nepal's national flag, the bodies of 11 students - kept at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for...