Ravi Laxmi Chitrakar, wife of senior CPN (Unified Socialist) leader and former Nepal Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal, is undergoing treatment for burn injuries at the Kirtipur Hospital in Kathmandu.

Early reports in Indian and Nepali media outlets had claimed that Chitrakar was killed in the arson attack. The Kathmandu Post later clarified that she was alive but in critical condition.

The Telegraph Online had also carried part of a PTI report that said she had reportedly died.

BOOM fact-checked the claim, reaching out to Nepal Fact Check, which confirmed with Dr Kiran Nakarmi, Director at Nepal Cleft & Burn Center, Kirtipur, that “Chitrakar is alive but in critical condition and undergoing treatment.”

Chitrakar sustained severe injuries after protestors set fire to the Khanal residence in Dallu on Tuesday morning. Khanal was not at home at the time, but Chitrakar was at home with her son, Nirbhik Khanal, when the fire broke out.

She was first taken to the Nepali Army Hospital in Chhauni, where she received treatment at the intensive care unit, before being transferred to Kirtipur Hospital for further treatment.

The protests that led to the attack on Khanal’s residence were part of the larger wave of Gen-Z-led demonstrations across Nepal.

On September 9, 2025, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned following anti-corruption protests that escalated after a social media ban and the killing of 30 people, with more than 100 injured in police firing in Kathmandu.

As the unrest spread, protestors set fire to Nepal’s parliament, government buildings, and the houses of several politicians.

Negotiations are underway between the Nepalese Army, President Ram Chandra Paudel, and representatives of Gen Z protestors to decide on the leadership of an interim government.