A religious trip to Nepal turned into a tragedy for a Ghaziabad family after rioters torched a luxury hotel in Kathmandu, leaving a woman dead while dozens of Indian tourists are still stranded.
Ramveer Singh Gola (58) and his wife Rajesh Devi had travelled to Kathmandu on September 7 to visit the Pashupatinath temple. But on the night of September 9, their five-star hotel was set ablaze during violent protests.
The unrest follows ‘Gen Z-led’ protests on September 8 demanding transparency in governance and lifting of the social media ban. Demonstrators tried to storm parliament, and torched various government and private establishments as the agitation turned violent.
Devi’s elder son Vishal recalled the last moments, saying, “The mob stormed the hotel and set it on fire. As the stairways got filled with smoke, my father broke the windowpane, tied sheets and jumped onto a mattress. My mother slipped while trying to climb down and fell heavily on her back,” as quoted by The Times of India.
Rescue teams placed mattresses below the building and urged guests to jump. Ramveer and his wife leapt from the fourth floor; he escaped with minor injuries, while Devi sustained critical injuries and was admitted to a Kathmandu hospital. She died on the night of September 10.
The 55-year-old woman’s body was reportedly brought via the Sonauli border in Uttar pradesh’s Maharajganj to Ghaziabad on Thursday. The last rites are scheduled for Friday.
Vishal alleged that communication blackouts hampered their search. “For two days we didn’t know about their whereabouts. Finally, my father was found in a relief camp, but my mother died in hospital,” he said, reported the English daily. The son also alleged that he received “minimal” support from the Indian embassy.
Indian tourists rush back home
Several groups of Indian pilgrims remain stranded in Nepal as violent protests continue to disrupt normal life in the Himalayan nation. The India-Nepal border in Maharajganj witnessed a surge of returning tourists as many cut short their trips amid escalating unrest.
A tourist who returned back to India safely said, “We were going to the Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal. However, due to the tense situation, we were unable to go there. The flight was cancelled because of the situation there. We are returning home now,” she told news agency ANI.
A group of 10 pilgrims from MuzaffarnagarUttar Pradesh, who had travelled to visit the Pashupatinath temple, have been confined to their hotel for the past three days. The group includes local BJP leader Sunil Kumar Tayal, who has sought assistance from state minister Kapil Dev Aggarwal.
Meanwhile, at least 14 people from four families in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, are also stuck in Kathmandu. In a video message on Wednesday, a member of the group said their hotel had run out of food, according to PTI.
Madhya pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav said efforts were being made to ensure the safe return of the stranded pilgrims.
The Andhra Pradesh government, on the other hand, has stepped up evacuation efforts. On Thursday, 154 boarding passes were issued to stranded Indians in Kathmandu.
A charter plane carrying 12 Telugu tourists landed safely in Nepalganj, while another with 10 passengers arrived in Kathmandu from Pokhara. These groups later boarded Indigo flights to India. Earlier, 22 Telugu nationals returned safely, according to state minister Nara Lokesh.
