King Gyanendra Friday posthumously awarded the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu (First Class) to IGP of the Armed Police Force (APF), Krishna Mohan Shrestha, murdered 13 days ago by suspected Maoists while on a morning walk, an announcement said.
The King also posthumously awarded his wife, Nudup, the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu (Third Class) and Gorkha Dakshin Bahu (Fifth Class) to bodyguard, Surya Bahadur Regmi. A Royal Palace announcement said the three had dedicated their lives to the nation.
Nudup and Regmi were also shot dead while accompanying IGP Shrestha on a morning walk in Lalitpur. The King paid glowing tributes to Shrestha Thursday. The King said the triple murders “were the highest forms of terrorist activity”.
“On the one hand, the APF has suffered a great loss in Shrestha’s demise, while on the other it has got to dedicate itself in the service of the nation and countrymen while remaining ever more dutiful in its work and not at all be distracted by such a cowardly act,” the King said in a condolence message.
Condolences messages were splashed in newspapers Thursday and Friday confirming confirming popularity of the Shresthas.