The family of Ganesh Nepali, who died after setting himself on fire outside the Department of Passports in Tripureshwar, has refused to claim his body, demanding that a state agency take responsibility for the incident.

The family says the incident was triggered after Kathmandu Metropolitan City police officials placed a wheel lock on his motorcycle. They have refused to collect the body until the government reaches a clear agreement with them.

“Discussions are underway on various issues, but no conclusion has been reached yet,” Ganesh’s nephew Mann Nepali told Kantipur on Saturday evening after talks with government officials at the Kathmandu District Administration Office. “The family’s position is that the body will not be taken until there is a clear commitment from the government.”

The talks are being led by Kathmandu Chief District Officer Ishwar Raj Paudel, with Ganesh’s parents and other family members also participating.

Ganesh died on Friday while undergoing treatment at Bir Hospital, where he had been admitted on Thursday. On Saturday, supporters and relatives staged a protest outside the hospital demanding justice for him.

After the family refused to receive the body, Bir Hospital transferred it to the mortuary at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj, citing a lack of facilities to preserve bodies for an extended period.

“Bir Hospital does not have the required infrastructure to keep the body for a long time,” said Dr Prakash Budhathoki of the hospital.

The legal process, including preparation of the death report and post-mortem examination, cannot move forward until the family accepts the body. The Prime Minister’s Office has also shown interest in reaching an agreement with the family.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dilip Ghimire, chief of Kathmandu police, said authorities were in talks with the family. “An agreement will be reached soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kathmandu Metropolitan City has announced support for Ganesh’s family, including financial assistance, employment opportunities for family members and free education for his children. The decisions will be formally approved by the municipal executive meeting, according to a statement issued by Nabin Manandhar, spokesperson for KMC.

The metropolitan city also said it would coordinate with the government to identify measures to prevent such incidents in the future and develop practices for implementation.

A five-member committee led by Deputy Inspector General Govinda Thapaliya of the Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Ranipokhari, is investigating Ganesh’s death.

According to a committee member, Ganesh had reached the passport office at around 11am on Thursday to drop off a passenger. After leaving the passenger at Gate No. 2, he waited nearby for another ride request when a female municipal police officer asked him not to park his motorcycle there.

An argument followed, and the motorcycle was later fitted with a wheel lock, according to the police’s preliminary findings.

Video footage obtained by Kantipur shows the female municipal police officer questioning Ganesh for refusing to comply with instructions. The footage also captures an argument over her mobile phone, which had fallen and broken during the exchange.

Ganesh later complained that the wheel lock had been placed unfairly while he was still sitting on the motorcycle.

According to the Nepal Police incident report, municipal police officials placed the wheel lock on his motorcycle parked near Gate No. 3 at around 1:45pm, after which Ganesh set himself on fire.

Police investigators said he poured petrol over himself nearly two hours after the wheel lock was placed.

The Kathmandu District Police Range questioned three municipal police personnel after the incident. They told investigators that Ganesh would have been released after paying a fine if he had shown the required documents. However, they said he refused to provide the documents, forcing them to call a vehicle to take the motorcycle away.

The investigation committee is examining CCTV footage from multiple locations to verify the sequence of events.

A committee official said preliminary review showed Ganesh appeared to have run towards the municipal police vehicle from some distance before pouring petrol over himself. Police are collecting CCTV footage that allegedly shows him approaching the vehicle and using a lighter to set himself on fire.

A video showing police personnel walking Ganesh away after he was injured also drew criticism on social media.

“We will examine every aspect of the incident, including what happened, when it happened and whether there were any lapses, and submit the report as soon as possible,” DIG Thapaliya told Kantipur.

Ganesh, originally from Jamal Dhara in ward 6 of Soru Rural Municipality of Mugu district, had been living in Kamalbinayak, Bhaktapur. His elder brother Madan said Ganesh had purchased a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle on instalments three months ago after using family land in Mugu as collateral.

“He had studied agriculture and was a junior technical assistant, but poor people do not have opportunities for jobs,” Madan said. “He bought a motorcycle and started working. This is what happened.”

Madan said that when he reached Bir Hospital, Ganesh told him to look after their parents and blamed municipal police officials for what happened.

Another man dies after setting himself on fire in Kathmandu

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old man who set himself on fire at his home in Kathmandu’s Buddhanagar on Saturday also died during treatment.

Superintendent of Police Pawan Bhattarai of Kathmandu police said Ashwin Raut died while undergoing treatment at Bir Hospital. Raut had suffered burns to around 50 percent of his body after setting himself on fire inside the kitchen of his house.

Raut, a permanent resident of Siraha district, was the owner of Super Wire and Steel Industrial Pvt Ltd and Divyashree Trade Concern.

His brother Dipak Raut said the incident occurred while Ashwin was preparing for a religious ritual after taking a bath. He lived at the house with his wife and son. At the time of the incident, his wife was in the bathroom, and his son was outside.

“After hearing a noise, my sister-in-law came out and saw him on fire. Neighbours and students from a nearby hostel then helped rescue him,” Dipak said.

He added that Ashwin had recently undergone spinal cord surgery and was recovering slowly, which had caused him frustration. “Preparations were underway to take him for treatment, but the incident happened before that,” he said.