Birendranagar, May 11 -- On the night of April 27, Raute Mukhiya (chieftain) Surya Narayan Shahi died in his settlement in the Sotkhola area of Barahatal Rural Municipality-8 of Surkhet district. He was 49.

Surya's death was the result of excessive alcohol consumption, according to Lal Bahadur Khatri, a teacher appointed by the Social Service Centre (SOSEC) Nepal, an NGO that conducts awareness programmes on the importance of education and sanitation among Raute people.

"He had been drinking heavily for two days straight and refused to eat," Khatri said. "We were treating him in the community, and although he agreed to go to the hospital the next day, he passed away that night."

Prior to this incident, Shahi reportedly had no serious h...