Gatthaghar accident victim was martyr’s family member; 2 daughters abroad
This incident, remembered by the Nepali Congress as the Timmurbote incident, is known in Nepali political history as the Okhaldhunga incident.
KATHMANDU: Uttam Koirala, originally from Ratmate in Chisankhugadhi Municipality-4 of Okhaldhunga, who had been living in Kathmandu for the past 15-20 years, died after being hit by a truck in Gatthaghar.
Most of his relatives live in Kathmandu, though some of his family members still reside in the village.
The family in Kathmandu informed the relatives in the village about his death after the accident.
On Thursday, Uttam had set out on his scooter from Kapan to visit his nephew’s house in Bhaktapur when he was struck by a truck in Gatthaghar, resulting in his death as he was dragged by the vehicle.
It has been revealed that Uttam was a member of a martyr’s family. Senior journalist Harihar Birahi, who is also a relative, confirmed that Uttam was the brother of Martyr Mahesh Koirala. Mahesh was killed in Okhaldhunga in 1974 during an armed movement led by the Nepali Congress against the Panchayat regime.
This incident, remembered by the Nepali Congress as the Timmurbote incident, is known in Nepali political history as the Okhaldhunga incident.
In this tragic event, security forces killed Mahesh and 18 other freedom fighters while they were sleeping in a cave.
Uttam’s body is currently at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for post-mortem. However, the family has refused to receive the body until a proper investigation committee is formed to look into the accident.
Meanwhile, the truck driver, 32-year-old Malang Satendra Shrestha from Malangwa Municipality-2 in Sarlahi, has been arrested and is being held at Baneshwar Police Circle.
It has also been revealed that Uttam has three daughters. His eldest daughter is in Australia, while the youngest is in Kathmandu. Just 12 days ago, Uttam had bid farewell to his middle daughter, Aastha, as she left for the United States to pursue an LL.M. in Kansas.
Uttam personally saw her off at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). The family has decided not to claim the body and perform the last rites until his daughters return from abroad.
