PressAdda
Rupandehi—Kamal Gautam, vice president of the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GFONT) Nepal, passed away while delivering a speech at a protest program against Nepal Electricity Authority’s decision to cut power supply to 13 industries.
नेपालीमा पढ्न यहाँ क्लिक गर्नुस्
Gautam suddenly collapsed during his speech and was immediately rushed to Crimson Hospital in Manigram, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival, confirmed Netra Prasad Acharya, President of the Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Earlier that day, during a meeting of the Chamber, Gautam had announced that the federation would formally join the protest. Speaking at the sit-in, he had expressed frustration, accusing the government and the Nepal Electricity Authority of deliberately trapping industrialists. He urged workers to unite and take a stand.
He had emphasized that industrialists had been paying electricity bills regularly but were suddenly burdened with a four-year backdated bill. “A false narrative has been spread that industrialists cheated the public. In fact, the negligence lies with the government and the Electricity Authority. Their staff should bear the responsibility,” he said.
While stressing that the protest should be taken seriously as around 25,000 workers were at risk of losing their jobs, Gautam’s speech began to falter. He reportedly said, “Therefore, due to this reason…” before collapsing mid-sentence.
According to Dr. Laxman Dubey, a senior cardiologist at Crimson Hospital, Gautam was already deceased upon arrival. “It appears he died of a cardiac arrest,” Dr. Dubey stated.
