Tragic Escape: Ghaziabad Woman Dies in Kathmandu Hotel Fire Amid Protests
She was the only Indian among the 51 fatalities reported during the violent Gen Z protests.
A pilgrimage to Nepal’s revered Pashupatinath temple turned fatal for Rajesh Devi Gola, a 55-year-old woman from Ghaziabad, who perished in a desperate attempt to escape a fire set by anti-government protesters at a luxury hotel in Kathmandu. She was the only Indian among the 51 fatalities reported during the violent Gen Z protests that swept Nepal this week.
Rajesh and her husband, Ramveer Singh Saini, arrived in Kathmandu on September 7, eager to fulfill their spiritual journey. After visiting the Pashupatinath temple the next day, the couple’s plans unraveled as protests against corruption and a social media ban escalated. On September 9, with a curfew in place and the airport shut, they extended their stay at the hotel, hoping for safety.
But safety was fleeting. Enraged protesters set the hotel ablaze, trapping the couple inside. In a harrowing bid to escape from their fourth-floor room, Ramveer jumped from the window, narrowly surviving. He attempted to lower Rajesh using a curtain, but she slipped, fell, and sustained critical injuries. She was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to excessive bleeding en route.
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“My wife was injured while we tried to save ourselves by jumping. She didn’t make it,” a devastated Ramveer told reporters at the Sonauli border in Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, where he awaited an ambulance carrying his wife’s body on Thursday.
The tragedy struck the same day Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli resigned, following intense protests that saw agitators storm his office, demanding accountability for the deaths. The unrest, sparked by grievances over corruption and a social media ban, saw protesters torch the Parliament, the President’s Office, the Prime Minister’s residence, and other key buildings. Nepal police reported 51 deaths, including three policemen and one Indian, alongside nearly 1,700 injuries, with around 1,000 people recovering and returning home.
“My cousin’s death in this violence is a profound loss,” said Tilakaram, a relative, his somber words reflecting the family’s grief. The protests, which continued despite Oli’s resignation, have left a trail of destruction and sorrow, with Rajesh’s death underscoring the human toll of the chaos that engulfed Kathmandu.
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