Several Indian media outlets including Times of India, NDTV, News18, India Today and Republic TV misreported that Ravi Laxmi Chitrakar, wife of former Nepal Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal, had died after their house in Dallu, Kathmandu, was set ablaze during the Gen-Z-led protests in the country.
BOOM reached out to Nepal Fact Check, who confirmed with Dr. Kiran Nakarmi, Director at Nepal Cleft & Burn Center, Kirtipur, that Chitrakar is alive but in critical condition and undergoing treatment.
On September 9, 2025, Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned after largely Gen-Z-led anti-corruption protests, sparked by a social media ban and the killing of 19 people with over 100 injured in police firing in the captial, escalated into violent unrest. The crowds set fire to Nepal's parliament, government buildings, and politicians’ houses across the country including the house of former PM Khanal.
The Claim: Ravi Laxmi Chitrakar, wife of former Nepal PM Jhala Nath Khanal died after their house was set on fire
The claim was misreported by several Indian media outlets including Times of India, NDTV, News18, India Today, Republic TV, The Tribune, Mint, India TV, and was also repeated by Indian YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who cited Indian reports in his explainer on the ongoing protests.
Times Of India headline read, "Nepal unrest: Gen Z fury unseats Prime Minister; wife of ex-PM dies after home set afire"
What We Found:
1) Nepali news reports on Ravi Laxmi Chitrakar being stable in hospital
We found two Nepali news reports in NepalPress and Setopati quoting former Nepal minister Jeevan Ram Shrestha, who said that the condition of Chitrakar was improving at the hospital in Kirtipur. The Setopati report also cited a hospital staff member, who confirmed that Chitrakar’s health had improved after she was severely injured when protesters set fire to the house while she was still inside. The report further stated that she was initially taken to the Nepali Army Hospital in Chhauni, where she received treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), before being transferred to a hospital in Kirtipur for further care.
2) Doctor at Nepal Cleft & Burn Center, Kirtipur Confirms Chitrakar is Stable
BOOM reached out to Nepal Fact Check, who spoke with Dr. Kiran Nakarmi, Director at the Nepal Cleft & Burn Center in Kirtipur. Dr. Nakarmi confirmed that Ravi Laxmi Chitrakar is alive but in critical condition and is undergoing treatment at the hospital. "She is in critical condition. Treatment is going on," Dr Nakarmi stated.
3. Former PM Khanal’s interview to BBC News Nepali
In an interview with BBC News Nepali on September 11, Former Nepal PM Khanal stated that security personnel had rescued his wife unconscious and suffering burns from the blaze at his house, adding she is now on a ventilator in hospital.
