Jeevan Ram Shrestha
{{Short description|Nepali politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Jeevan Ram Shrestha
| native_name = जीवन राम श्रेष्ठ
| image = Jeevan ram shrestha posing for a photo.jpg
| caption =
| office = Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation
| president = Bidhya Devi Bhandari
| termstart = 27 June 2022
| termend = 26 December 2022
| predecessor = Prem Ale
| successor = Sudan Kirati
| office1 = Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha
| term_start1 = 4 March 2018
| term_end1 = 18 September 2022
| constituency1 = Kathmandu 8
| predecessor1 = Nabindra Raj Joshi
| successor1 = Biraj Bhakta Shrestha
| office2 = Chair of Nepal Olympic Committee
| term_start12 = 1 October 2015
| term_end2 = Sept. 30, 2019
| party = CPN (Unified Socialist)
| otherparty = CPN (UML)
| birth_place = Kathmandu-15, Nepal
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|12|30|df=y}}{{Cite book |url=https://hr.parliament.gov.np/uploads/attachments/z3qljvte6vwen2cy.pdf |title=संघीय संसद सदस्य, २०७४ परिचयात्मक पुस्तिका |publisher=Federal Parliament Secretariat |year=2021 |location=Nepal |pages=270 |language=ne |trans-title=Federal Parliament Members 2017 Introduction Booklet}}
| nationality = Nepali
| alma_mater = Tribhuvan University
| primeminister = Sher Bahadur Deuba
}}
Jeevan Ram Shrestha ({{langx|ne|जीवन राम श्रेष्ठ}})( born 1965 December 30 ) is a Nepali politician, who served as the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation in the ruling coalition government led by Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba.{{Cite web |last=Republica |title=Newly-appointed CPN (Unified Socialist) ministers sworn in |url=http://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/128356/ |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=My Republica |language=en}}
He is a member of the newly formed Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist). His political engagement started from his college life as a student leader at Saraswoti Campus in Lainchaur.
Jeevan Ram Shrestha is the current elected president of Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC).{{Cite web|url=http://www.ocasia.org/Home/Home|title=Olympic Council of Asia - ocasia.asia|website=OCASIA|access-date=2019-12-31|archive-date=2022-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124103748/https://ocasia.org/Home/Home|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/sports/2015/09/03/jeevan-ram-shrestha-elected-new-noc-president|title=Jeevan Ram Shrestha elected new NOC president|website=kathmandupost.com}}[http://www.acnolympic.org/nocs/nocs-directory/asia/nepal/ Nepal Olympic Committee Details by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC)]
{{Cite web|url=http://nocnepal.org.np/executive-committee|title=Executive Committee|website=nocnepal.org.np}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1029927/jeevan-ram-shrestha-elected-nepal-olympic-committee-president|title=Jeevan Ram Shrestha elected Nepal Olympic Committee President|date=September 4, 2015|website=www.insidethegames.biz}} He was an Ex-Secretary General of Nepal Olympic Committee. He has attended many events and actively made many plans on behalf of Nepal Olympic Committee.{{Cite web|url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/noc-qoc-sign-mou-mutual-cooperation/|title=NOC, QOC sign MoU for mutual cooperation|date=November 17, 2016|website=The Himalayan Times}} Jeevan Ram Shrestha is also the president of Nepal Ski Association.{{Cite web|url=http://nocnepal.org.np/nepal-ski-association|title=Nepal Ski Association|website=nocnepal.org.np|access-date=2019-03-14}}
Jeevan Ram Shrestha grew up in a middle-class family in Kathmandu.{{Cite web|url=http://election.ujyaaloonline.com/candidates/2857/Jivan-Ram-Shrestha/|title=Biography on Jeevan Ram Shrestha by Ujaalo FM}}
Controversy
= Arrest of a security guard =
In September 2022, the then Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation minister Shrestha, faced public criticism after a security guard working at Chhaya Center in Thamel was arrested for asking Shrestha to remain in queue at a visa processing center. Shrestha had visited the visa center for biometric processing for his trip to Canada. According to the eyewitnesses, Shrestha felt humiliated and the heated exchanged soon ensued between the two. Soon after, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation wrote to the Home Affairs stating that the security guard had misbehaved with the minister. Upon the direction of the Home Affairs, Nepal Police arrested the security guard, Sherjung Gurung and filed him for Indecent Behaviour under Clause 118 of the National Penal Code. The Kathmandu District Administration Office granted the police permission to keep Gurung in detention for five days for investigation.{{cite news |last1=Dahal |first1=Matrika |title=Police arrest security guard for asking a sitting minister to wait in queue https://tkpo.st/3D10L63 |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2022/09/04/police-arrest-security-guard-for-asking-a-sitting-minister-to-wait-in-queue |access-date=5 September 2022 |publisher=The Kathmandu Post}} This sparked a outcry among the public as an abuse of power by Minister Shrestha surfaced in the media. Soon after, Gurung's wife filed a writ in the Supreme Court that her husband had been wrongfully arrested and demanded his immediate release.{{cite news |title=सुरक्षागार्ड गुरुङलाई गैरकानुनी हिरासतमा राखेको भन्दै सर्वोच्चमा रिट |url=https://www.onlinekhabar.com/2022/09/1186154 |work=Online Khabar}} After the widespread criticism, Gurung was released from custody, two days after the incident.