GEORGE TOWN: More than 1,000 relatives, friends and members of the public bade T. Nhaveen a final farewell this afternoon.
Many among the crowd were teary-eyed, and some of Nhaveen’s friends burst into sobs when they took one last look at him as he lay in a brown casket.
Nhaveen's mother, D. Shanti, and his grandmother were the very image of grief as they looked upon their deceased loved one.
As his casket was pushed into the incinerator at 4.30pm, Nhaveen’s family wailed uncontrollably, unable to bear the finality of their loss.
Earlier, his casket was carried by relatives and friends all the way from the Batu Gantung funeral parlour to the crematorium.
Continuous drum beats accompanied the entourage along the way.
Some in the procession in Nhaveen’s final journey held placards which read #justicefornhaveen
When Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's entourage arrived at the funeral parlour to pay their last respects, some in the crowd were heard shouting: "We want justice!"
Nhaveen, 18, died at the Penang Hospital at 5.31pm yesterday following a vicious assault and rape at the hands of a group of teenagers on Saturday.
He died without regaining consciousness.
At 2.20am on Saturday, Nhaveen and his friend T. Previin, 19, were buying burgers at a stall when they were accosted by two people who were Nhaveen’s former classmates.
The two taunted Nhaveen and called him names, including ‘pondan’ (sissy).
Nhaveen pleaded with the two to stop taunting him, and warned them to back off. However, the two called their friends to the scene and the group began assaulting Nhaveen and Previin.
Previin escaped with injuries, but Nhaveen was dragged to a field and was further assaulted. The group, aged 16 to 20, allegedly inserted a blunt object into Nhaveen's anus.
Nhaveen’s case has since garnered attention on social media, with Malaysians expressing an outpouring of sympathy towards him and his family.
A candlelight vigil held outside the compound of the Penang Hospital on Wednesday night to pray for the teen’s recovery drew more than 200 people.