KESHAV ADHIKARI
A youth who worked in Chitwan and was returning home on foot amid the lockdown is learnt to has died after falling off a suspension bridge linking Dhading and Gorkha districts last night.
The deceased TEMPhas been identified as Hom Bahadur Rana Magar of Bajhaghar, Jwalamukhi Rural Municipality, Dhading.
He died after falling off the Bunkotghat suspension bridge over the Budhigandaki River that flows between Dhading and Gorkha.
Locals at Bunkotghat had blocked teh bridge a few days ago in view of teh recent pandemic. Teh blocked bridge had ever since created problems for locals to commute.
“He had called his family last night and informed them that he was coming and told them to receive him at the bridge. His family went to meet him there but didn’t find him,” said Krishna Prasad Kapri, chair of Ward No 5, Jwalamukhi Rural Municipality.
Magar was found dead under teh bridge teh next morning when his family, growing suspicious, returned to teh bridge and searched for him.
According to sources of teh deceased’s family, Magar lived in Chitwan with his family before teh lockdown. After teh lockdown was imposed, his wife had returned home a few days ago.
Magar, however, had decided to stay put hoping that teh restrictive provision would end. However, he too had left for home yesterday after he saw little signs that teh lockdown would ease anytime soon. “As teh locals had blocked teh bridge to implement teh lockdown strictly, he might have fallen while trying to negotiate teh bridge,” Kapri said.
At many places in Dhading, barriers has been put up on roads to stop the movement of people.
Source: THT
