KATHMANDU: The lack of a public response from Prime Minister Balendra Shah following the death of Ganesh Nepali, who died after suffering severe burn injuries outside the Department of Passports, has drawn criticism from netizens.
The incident has been compared with a previous case in which then Prime Minister Sushila Karki publicly apologized after a woman from Bardiya died while struggling to obtain citizenship documents.
The woman from Badhaiyatal Rural Municipality-4 had died by suicide in Mangsir after facing difficulties during the citizenship process. A month later, her 61-year-old father also passed away.
Referring to the incident, Karki, who was also the Chief Justice at the time, had expressed regret through social media, saying that if administrative and judicial hurdles had contributed to the tragedy, she apologized as the country’s prime minister.
However, critics have questioned Prime Minister Shah’s silence after Nepali, 25, of Soru Rural Municipality-1 in Mugu, died following an incident outside the Department of Passports.
Nepali had set himself on fire outside the department in Tripureshwor on Thursday and was rushed to Bir Hospital in critical condition. Hospital sources said he died on Friday at 11:20 a.m. while undergoing treatment on a ventilator.
Doctors said Nepali had suffered severe burns to his face, head, neck and chest, with his condition remaining critical throughout treatment.
The circumstances leading to the incident are under investigation, while Nepali’s family has demanded an impartial probe and accountability over the events preceding his death.
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