Paras Shah: Ex-Crown Prince's Controversies That Shook Nepal's Monarchy

Paras Shah, the only son of former King Gyanendra, is one of the most controversial figures in the royal family. Once the crown prince, he was expected to lead the country with discipline and integrity. His name, instead, became linked to violence and controversies that tarnished the royal family's reputation.

But before all this, Paras turned a hero on the night his cousin, Crown Prince Dipendra, killed the king, queen, and multiple other family members before turning the gun on himself. He somehow saved at least three royals that night. His later years, though, were marked by incidents that shocked the nation.

Hit and run case involving singer in 2000

In August 2000, Paras Shah was accused of being involved in the death of Praveen Gurung, a popular Nepali singer. Reports said Gurung was run over by a car, and initially, people thought Paras might have been responsible, according to BBC.

Over 6 lakh people took to the streets to protest against Paras, but he was never officially charged for the singer's death. Later, an army officer admitted responsibility for the accident. 

In another incident, Paras was accused of hitting a policeman with the butt of his automatic gun after being stopped for drunk driving.

2010 Chitwan incident

On 11 December 2010, Paras Shah was at a hotel in Chitwan when he became involved in a heated argument. During the row, he fired a pistol at a man who was the son-in-law of a Nepalese deputy prime minister, Sujata Koirala. Reports say he was under the influence of alcohol at the time. 

Paras claimed that the man's family had conspired against Nepal's monarchy and was harming the country's reputation. He was later arrested.

Arrested on drug-related charges

In 2012, Paras Shah was first arrested in Thailand for having marijuana in Phuket. Soon after he was released, he got into trouble again for damaging a luxury hotel in Bangkok. He was made to pay 120,000 baht to the hotel owner to cover the damage before being released.

Then, in July 2014, he was arrested a second time on drug-related charges in Thailand.

Misbehaved with police in 2021

On July 30, 2021, Paras got into trouble when traffic police stopped him because he was not wearing a helmet. This happened at Narayan Gopal Chowk in Maharajgunj. Reports say he was drunk at the time and misbehaved with the officer on duty.