Former minister and NC leader Alam passes away

KATHMANDU: Former minister and Nepali Congress leader Mohammad Aftab Alam has passed away.

According to hospital sources, he died at around 2:30 am on Saturday. He had been undergoing treatment on a ventilator at Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) Teaching Hospital for the past few days.

NC leader from Rautahat and Madhesh Province Assembly member Krishna Yadav said that Alam’s body is being taken from Kathmandu to Rautahat. Doctors involved in his treatment said that he had been undergoing regular dialysis.

After being released from Nakkhu Prison in May, he had suffered a brain stroke and was treated at Annapurna Neuro Hospital in Maitighar. He later went to India for further treatment. According to doctors, his death was caused by the long-term effects of the brain stroke.

Alam had been convicted of burning people injured in an explosion at his home on the eve of the Constituent Assembly election in April 2008  alive in his brick kiln by the Rautahat District Court. However, the verdict was later overturned by the  Birgunj bench of Janakpur High Court.