Former state minister for health and Nepali Congress leader Tirtharam Dangol passed away on Friday evening at the age of 77.

He was receiving treatment at Kathmandu Medical College and had long battled prostate cancer and diabetes.

A respected figure in Nepal’s democratic movement, Dangol was a founding member of the Nepal Student Union, the student wing of the Nepali Congress.

He was elected deputy mayor of Kathmandu Municipality in 1986, a member of the House of Representatives from Kathmandu-7 in 1999, and a member of the Constituent Assembly in 2008. Dangol, as district chief of Kathmandu of Nepali Congress, led the People’s Movement in 2006, which paved the way for the abolition of the monarchy and establishment of the republic system in the country.

Born in January 1948, Dangol authored a book Kathmandu Congress Ra Tirtha Ram and established the Tej-Tirth Trust with his wife. The trust annually awards three individuals for their contributions to journalism, human rights and democracy, and Nepal Bhasa literature.

For his commitment to democratic values, he was honoured with the Ganeshman Singh Martyr Memorial Peace Foundation’s gold medal.

Nepali Congress president and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, among many others, extended condolences to the bereaved family and paid tribute to Dangol on Saturday.

Dangol’s body was kept at the Nepali Congress central office in Sanepa from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday for final tributes. His funeral took place at Teku Dovan on Saturday afternoon.