DIG-Led Committee Formed to Investigate Ganesh Nepali Self-Immolation Case

Kathmandu. The government has formed a five-member investigation committee led by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Govinda Thapaliya of Nepal Police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the self-immolation of ride-sharing driver Ganesh Nepali.

Announcing the decision during a meeting of the House of Representatives on Friday, Home Minister Sudan Gurung said a committee has been tasked with establishing the facts behind the incident.

According to Minister Gurung, three municipal police officers from Kathmandu Metropolitan City have also been taken into custody for preliminary questioning and investigation of the case. Speaking in parliament, Home Minister Gurung said that the government worked throughout the night to do everything possible to save Ganesh Nepali's life.

Speaking in the House of Representatives on Friday, Gurung said the government had provided VVIP security to transport Ganesh Nepali safely to the airport and had coordinated with AIIMS Hospital in India for advanced treatment. He added that an air ambulance had been kept on standby.

"An air ambulance was on standby, but due to the doctors' advice and his medical condition, his life could not be saved," Gurung said.

His remarks came after the Independent Drivers Foundation Nepal called on the government to form an independent, impartial, and high-level investigation committee into the circumstances surrounding Nepali's death.

In a statement issued on Friday, the foundation expressed sorrow over Nepali's death and said an independent and transparent investigation was necessary to establish the facts.

The foundation said questions had been raised over allegations that Kathmandu Metropolitan City Police placed a wheel lock on Ganesh Nepali's motorcycle while he was on a ride and that a Taser was used during the subsequent events. It demanded legal action if any negligence, misconduct, or unlawful act is established through the investigation.

Responding to criticism from opposition lawmakers, who accused the government of prioritizing publicity over action, Gurung urged that efforts to save the victim should not be politicized.

The Home Minister also pointed out that the wheel lock, considered a key factor in the incident, had been placed by municipal police, not Nepal Police, and said the role of the local government should also be examined.

"The traffic police did not place the wheel lock where the incident occurred; it was the municipal police," Gurung said. "While enforcing laws and regulations, human sensitivity must not be forgotten. The inquiry committee will determine where mistakes were made in this incident."

पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: असार २६, २०८३ १७:१८