Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) - Nepal's former Crown Prince Paras Shah is in an unwelcome spotlight after he allegedly fired a weapon and attacked family members of government officials he blamed for his father's ouster.
Shah reportedly attacked the daughter and son-in-law of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala at the Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge in the central Nepal city of Chitwan Saturday night.
Shah admitted that he had a scuffle with the son-in-law, Rubel Choudhary, and said the incident was provoked by “derogatory remarks” against him, his family and Nepal by “two foreign nationals.” He threatened Choudhary by firing a pistol into the air.
He was reportedly furious at seeing Choudhary, who is married to Koirala's daughter, in the same resort where he and his friends were staying. Choudhary is a Bangladeshi national. The couple, their son and friends were vacationing at the hospital.
Employees at the resort escorted the Choudhary family to a hotel in the nearby city of Gaidokot Sunday morning.
Shah issued a statement Monday morning to media outlets from what appeared to be recently created email addresses--concernnepal@yahoo.com and nirmalniwasmaharajgunj@yahoo.com. Without mentioning names, Shah said he fired the weapon after a Bangladeshi national and an Indian national affronted him, his family and Nepal using derogatory words despite his efforts to conciliate them during a discussion on his past roles and the institution he represents.
“I along with my family, on our way home from Sarlahi and Dhading, had a stop-over at the Tiger Tops hotel and were taking dinner when two foreign nationals reached out to me and started making irrelevant comments on my roles in yesteryears and the institution that I represent (erstwhile monarchy),” Shah said in the statement.
Shah claimed he had no malicious intent while firing in the air.
Choudhary offered his own account of the incident. “The ex-prince took out a pistol and started to open fire, accusing the Koirala family of conspiring to abolish the monarchy in the country," Choudhary said. "God saved me and my family."
"Paras took out a pistol and asked me to come with him in the forest but when I rejected, Shah started to open fire," he said.
He added that he has no personal differences with Shah.
Shah is notorious for his idiosyncratic abruptness and turbulence and drinking habits.
Girija Prasad Koirala, the father of the deputy prime minister, led the Nepal democracy movement in April 2006 and is considered the father of the Nepali republic. Following the uprising, Nepal's centuries-long monarchy was abolished.
Koirala’s Nepali Congress party demanded stern action against Shah. In a statement bearing the name of Sushil Koirala, the party expressed its surprise over government apathy in initiating action against Shah despite the former crown prince confessing to firing a gunshot.
Police spokesperson Bigyanraj Sharma said Monday that an investigation team had been deployed to Chitwan. He added that if Shah is found guilty in the investigation, definite action would be taken against him.
