Ramnath Dhakal (1962-2015) was a Nepali politician and social worker. He was a politburo member of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist).
During his political career, he was elected as a member of parliament at the age of 32 and also as a member of Nepal’s constituent assembly. As the Chairperson of Parliament’s State Affairs Committee, he led an investigation committee to probe possible corruption in Nepal police’s equipment supply to its UN peace troops in southern Sudan and accumulated evidence to prove that millions of dollars had been embezzled.
| Name in Nepali | रामनाथ ढकाल |
| Born | 20 Dec. 1962 |
| Died | 5 April 2015 |
| Profession | Politician |
Early Life & Political Career
Ramnath Dhakal was born on 20 December 1962 in Khangakot VDC, Upallo Koreng of Gulmi District, western Nepal. His parents were Dinanath Dhakal and Devkala Dhakal. Ramnath started political activities as a young student and actively participated in protests against the autocratic Panchayet system.
Dhakal spent his childhood partly in India as his father was employed in an Indian company. At the age of 16, Dhakal moved back to Nepal with his father and started studying in Pokhara. In 1983, he was given party membership of the Communist Party of Nepal. His political career progressed as a student leader. Dhakal led the All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) as its national Chairperson for four years.
Dhakal was attacked many times by police and Panchayati vigilantes during the Panchayati autocratic rule. Once he was even stabbed in Pokhara, however, luckily he happened to have hidden a thick notebook on his stomach and survived.
A Bachelor of Law from Tribhuvan University, Dhakal was first elected as a member of parliament in 1999 from Gulmi-1. In the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections, Dhakal was elected with 11,080 votes from Rupandehi-5. During his first parliamentary term, he worked as a member of the State Affairs Committee and was widely known for preventing a high-profile, but unlawful political appointment attempt by his own party’s Home Minister. During his second term in parliament, he was the chairperson of the State Affairs Committee and was known for his work in Nepal Police’s Sudan corruption scandal. Many of his colleagues remember him as a candid speaker, solution-focused amiable political leader.
Dhakal was elected as a Central Committee Member of CPN UML from its 9th National Congress in Kathmandu. He was a politburo member and Lumbini zone in-charge of the party.
Swine Flu & Death
Ramnath Dhakal drove to Grandy Hospital after he felt uneasy on 27 March 2015. He was diagnosed with Swine Flu and other multiple problems. He was referred to a hospital in Delhi, India and an air ambulance landed in Kathmandu to take him to Delhi’s Medanta hospital. However, due to severe weather conditions, the plane was not able to fly back with Dhakal. Then Dhakal’s treatment continued in Kathmandu.
Dhakal died on 5 April 2015 in the Grandy Hospital and according to a press statement provided by the hospital, he suffered from Swine Flu, Lymphoproliferative disorder and Lymph-node tuberculosis. He also had kidney problems and a severe lack of oxygen when he died.
