Kathmandu. CPN-UML lawmaker Ain Bahadur Mahar has strongly criticized the government in the House of Representatives over the death of 25-year-old Ganesh Nepali of Mugu.

Speaking at the meeting of the House of Representatives on Friday, Mahar said that the government should take moral responsibility for the death of Ganesh Nepali. He termed it as a failure of the state to create a situation where citizens are forced to take extreme steps like self-immolation.

Recalling the history, PM Oli said that public awareness against the then Rana oligarchy was increased after Yogmaya Neupane took water samadhi in the Arun River.

Lawmaker Mahar blamed that the family of Ganesh Nepali was not allowed to meet immediately and the body was not handed over to the family. According to him, Home Minister Sudan Gurung had reached the incident site after the incident. He said that the government should behave sensitively towards the victims’ families.

He called on the government to give up the tendency of suppression on the citizens and the State should pay attention to resolve the problems of the citizens to prevent incidents of self-immolation from recurring. He blamed that such incidents have increased due to the failure to address the problems of landless squatters and poor citizens.

Ganesh Nepali, 25, of Mugu attempted self-immolation by pouring petrol on his body in Kathmandu on Thursday. He succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at Bir Hospital on Friday morning.