Paras, Crown Prince of Nepal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
|
 |
|
Paras Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal (born 30 December 1971) is the current Crown Prince of Nepal. Paras is the only son of King Gyanendra and Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah. He attended Luther College in the United States, but did not graduate. Paras has become extremely unpopular in Nepal due to a history of debauchery, drug abuse and violence (including at least one incident of vehicular homicide for which he was never prosecuted). [1] [2]On June 1, 2001, Paras was present at the royal palace when the then Crown Prince Dipendra reportedly went on a killing spree, murdering King Birendra and most of the Royal Family before dying of wounds 3 days later. Gyanendra, who had held the title of King of Nepal briefly during the 1950s, was again crowned King. Paras, as Gyanendra's only son, became the Crown Prince.
Paras married Himani Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah on January 25, 2000. They have three children:
- Princess Yuvarajkumari Purnika Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah (Born: December 11, 2000, Kathmandu)
- Prince Nava Yuvaraj Hridayendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (Born: July 30, 2002, Kathmandu)
- Princess Yuvarajkumari Kritika Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah (Born: October 16, 2003, Kathmandu)
[edit] Allegations of homicides
- Case of vehicular homicide:
Musician Praveen Gurung was struck dead after being hit by a vehicle believed to have been driven by Paras. As per major daily's reports, preceding the incident, Gurung had upbraided Paras for manhandling his (Gurung's) wife. Immediately after this incident, students protested in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, to strip the princehood of Paras. He is taken as a controversial figure for his alleged criminal past. Many Nepalese people do not want him to become the next King of Nepal.
[edit] Allegation of assault
- Alleged assault a policeman:
Paras has also been accused of assaulting "a policeman with the butt of his automatic weapon after being stopped for drinking and driving." [3] He was not charged.
Following the murder of Praveen Gurung, there was an uproar of an unprecedented scale in the streets of Kathmandu. This was the first time the Nepalese people overtly chanted slogans against a member of the royal family, which for centuries had been regarded as sacrosanct. A petition campaign was initiated by the student wing of CPN (UML) and was forwarded to the royal palace calling for Paras to be punished. But contrary to popular opinion, King Birendra did nothing against Paras. Instead the palace responded with several PR campaigns to improve the prince's image. They tried to present Paras as a young man interested in promoting Nepal's sports and tourist sectors. Unfortunately, Paras did not cooperate; his next victim was a policeman who failed to recognize him, and as a result was almost killed. [4] While their countrymen were dying of hunger, the Nepalese monarchy enjoyed a very lavish lifestyle; the classic scenario for a revolution.
The Palace, in the meantime, reached an out of court deal with the widow of Gurung. A scapegoat was found who confessed to the killing of Praveen Gurung and Mrs Gurung vowed to never openly speak of the matter again. To date, she has not.
Since royal authority has been curtailed and the king stripped of most of his powers, there is a growing sentiment that the police reopen the case against Paras Shah.
[edit] External links
- Nepal: Murder in Palace, Maoists in Mountains
- Murder and intrigue in Katmandu
- Nepal's errant crown prince,
- Game of Golf Stirs Up Criticism of U.S. Role in Nepal
| Preceded by Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah |
Crown Prince of Nepal 2001–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
