KATHMANDU, July 10: Nepali Congress Chief Whip Basana Thapa on Friday said the death of 25-year-old Ganesh Nepali has laid bare the state's failure to address the grievances of ordinary citizens, accusing the government of responding with indifference instead of compassion.
Addressing a meeting of the House of Representatives, Thapa said Nepali was driven to set himself on fire by what she described as "state oppression."
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She criticized the authorities for allegedly failing to dispatch an ambulance after Nepali set himself ablaze outside the Department of Passports, claiming that police dragged him away "like a criminal" instead of rescuing him.
"A young man set himself on fire because of state oppression, yet the state remained a mute spectator. His body was engulfed in flames, but no ambulance was sent. Instead, the police dragged him away like a criminal. Was that a rescue or an arrest? Was his only mistake being born in this country or trying to build a future here?" she said.
Thapa also questioned whether he remembered the social media post he had written following the self-immolation of Prem Acharya outside the Parliament building when he was serving as mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, drawing a parallel between the two incidents.
She further argued that soaring traffic fines and what she described as insensitive government policies have pushed many young people into frustration and despair. Urging the government to rethink its approach, Thapa said it should "look at Ganesh Nepali's face" and reflect on the consequences of its actions.
