New Delhi: Nepal’s government came under mounting pressure on Saturday (July 11) as protests continued over the death of an app-based driver who set himself on fire after a confrontation with municipal police over a parking dispute. The episode has triggered calls for Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s resignation and a high-level investigation.Family members, friends and supporters of Ganesh Nepali gathered outside Kathmandu’s Bir Hospital on Saturday demanding justice, a day after the 25-year-old died from burns sustained when he attempted self-immolation outside the Department of Passports in Tripureshwar following an altercation with Kathmandu Metropolitan City municipal police.According to local media, police briefly scuffled with demonstrators after some attempted to move onto the roadway before the protest continued peacefully.The incident began on Thursday when Nepali, who had moved to Kathmandu from the remote Mugu district and worked as a driver for the ride-hailing platform Pathao, parked his motorcycle outside the Department of Passports while waiting for his next booking. According to police and CCTV footage reviewed by the Kathmandu Post, municipal police ordered him to move the motorcycle before later immobilising it with a wheel lock after an argument over an alleged parking violation.Police investigators say Nepali argued with the officers for nearly two hours over the 1,000 Nepali rupee parking fine before siphoning petrol from his motorcycle, dousing himself and setting himself on fire.He suffered burns over more than 55% of his body and died at Bir Hospital on Friday morning. Nepal’s government had explored flying him to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi aboard an air ambulance, but doctors concluded he was too unstable to survive the transfer.Videos circulating on social media showing the severely injured Nepali being assisted to a vehicle rather than being carried on a stretcher have fuelled public outrage and raised questions about the emergency response.Home Minister Sudhan Gurung announced in parliament on Friday that the government had constituted a five-member inquiry committee headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police Govinda Thapaliya to investigate the incident. He also said three Kathmandu Metropolitan City municipal police personnel who were involved in the confrontation had been taken into custody for questioningNepali’s death has since dominated the political discourse, with opposition lawmakers accusing the government of failing to protect ordinary citizens and demanding accountability. Several lawmakers also questioned the handling of Nepali’s rescue and urged the government to compensate his family.The political backlash has also focused on Shah, who, before becoming prime minister, had responded to the 2023 self-immolation of Prem Prasad Acharya outside Nepal’s parliament by writing that such incidents reflected “the state’s total failure.” Opposition lawmakers cited those remarks during Friday’s parliamentary debate, arguing that the government had failed to live up to that standard.According to media reports, Nepali’s family has refused to accept his body until the government addresses a series of demands, including compensation, financial support for his young daughter, a government job for his wife and recognition of Nepali as a martyr.The public anger over Nepali’s death has coincided with two other recent self-immolation cases, though authorities have stressed that they are not related to state misconduct. On Saturday, Bir Hospital confirmed the death of 45-year-old Ashwin Raut, who had attempted self-immolation at his home in Kathmandu following a domestic dispute.A day earlier, 35-year-old Bibek Mandal sustained critical burn injuries after setting himself on fire in Sarlahi district and was airlifted to a specialist burns hospital in Kathmandu, where he remains under treatment.