Paras arrest drama

KATHMANDU, Dec 15: The first ever arrest of a former high-end royal on a criminal charge after the abolition of monarchy became pretty dramatic when former crown prince Paras Shah took nearly five hours to give himself up to police, on Tuesday in Pokhara.

The government had decided Tuesday morning to arrest Shah in connection with the Chitwan shooting.

Shah was staying at posh Fulbari Resort since Monday afternoon after the shooting scandal in Chitwan Saturday night. In an alcoholic stupor, he had fired in the air with a pistol in illegal possession during an altercation with Rubel Chaudhary, son-in-law of Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala, at Tiger Tops lodge inside Chitwan National Park.

Police cordoned off Fulbari Resort at noon, acting on a nationally-circulated arrest warrant issued around 10 a.m. by Chitwan District Police. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Keshav Adhikari, chief of Zonal Police Office Gandaki, led the entire process of taking hold of Shah, who finally agreed to go to Chitwan by a personally hired helicopter.

Shah tarried whole day

According to police officials, when security personnel from both Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force were deployed around the resort, Shah reacted in a way that showed he might not have expected to be arrested. Accompanied on his travel by over a dozen aides, Shah was staying at the 200 US dollars per day Suite No. 3122, and he tarried in showing up in the lobby.

“Initially, he refused to give in,” said a senior police official requesting anonymity. “After we insisted that he had to come with us, he said yes but mentioned different pretexts to delay, like poor health, meals and even matters like answering nature´s call.”

“It was getting late and we were still pressing him. Finally, he said he could not go by police van or any other four-wheeler, but showed readiness to go by helicopter,” officials added.

“We let him hire a helicopter himself to travel to Chitwan, because of his health,” said SSP Adhikari, who declined to furnish details.

Officials said Shah boarded a Fishtail Airlines helicopter at 4.45 p.m. an hour after the chopper landed at the resort premises. He was accompanied by Anil Adhikari, his personal driver, and one Madhusudan while SSP Adhikari and an inspector kept guard over the flight.

“He made us warn him we would use force if he did not cooperate,” said an official.

The chopper first landed for refueling at Pokhara Airport where the airline immediately managed another chopper to fly him onwards to Chitwan.

Detention at training barracks

The chopper dropped the former crown prince at the Regional Police Training Office in Bharatpur. He is being detained in a single-bed room at barracks used for trainee cops. Superintendent of Police (SP) Balaram Paudel said Shah has been treated at his office like any other detainee and was served normal food.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal workers staged a demonstration outside the training office upon Paras´ arrival there. They demanded to be allowed to meet him.

To be booked on public offence

Chitwan police are to book Shah on a public offence charge. They had issued an arrest warrant for public offence on the basis of preliminary investigations.
Meanwhile, senior police officials said that as per the nature of the shooting incident, public prosecutors could also chargesheet Shah under the Arms and Ammunition Act 2018 BS. “Whether it will be confined to the public offence charge or otherwise will depend on the discretion of the government as well as the report of a high-level probe panel,” said officials. Officials have also indicated the possibility of prosection under the Natinal Parks Conservation Act.

Meanwhile, both the public prosecutor and the counsel for Shah recorded their statements at the Regional Police Training Office this evening.

Panel starts work

A high-level three-member probe panel led by DIG Ganga Prasad Pandey reached Chitwan and held discussions with officials there on Tuesday. “We are yet to get to the scene,” said a panel member. “From tomorrow, we will speed up the investigation.”

Court of Inquiry for army personnel

The Nepal Army (NA) has summoned all seven army personnel deputed for the ex-crown prince´s security during his visit to Chitwan, for failure to maintain security.

“Seven of the deputed army personnel including a captain have been called to a Court of Inquiry (CoI),” Brigadier Ramindra Chhetri, chief of NA´s Directorate of Public Relations, told Republica.

Asked whether the army personnel had provided the weapon used by Shah, Chhetri said it would be known only after an investigation.

“The CoI can establish the facts,” he further said.

(With contributions from Manoj Adhikari and Santosh Pokharel in Pokhara and Chandani Hamal in Chitwan)

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