Nepalese royal massacre
| Nepalese royal massacre | |
|---|---|
 The Narayanhity Royal Palace, home of the Royal Family (now nationalize by the Government of Nepal |
|
| Location | Narayanhity Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Target(s) | The Nepalese Royal Family King Birendra of Nepal |
| Date | June 1, 2001 about 21 hrs (UTC+5:45) |
| Attack type | Fratricide, patricide, sororicide, regicide, matricide, mass murder, massacre, suicide attack |
| Deaths | 10 (12 including gunman and mother of Kumar Khadga, Princess Sharada's husband who died on being told of the massacre) |
| Injured | 5 |
| Perpetrator(s) | Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev |
The Nepalese royal massacre occurred on Saturday, June 1, 2001, at the Narayanhity Royal Palace, the official residence of the Nepalese monarchy.
Overview of events
According to the official report, it says that Crown Prince Dipendra had been drinking heavily and had "misbehaved" with a guest which resulted in his father King Birendra telling his son to leave the party with the drunken Dipendra being taken to his room by his brother Prince Nirajan and cousin Prince Paras.[1]
One hour later Dipendra returned to the party armed with an assault rifle and fired a single shot into the ceiling before turning the gun on his father King Birendra. Seconds later Dipendra shot one of his aunts and his uncle Dhirendra was shot in the chest at point blank range after trying to stop Dipendra.[1] During the carnage Prince Paras suffered slight injuries and managed to save at least three royals, including two children, by pulling a sofa over them.[1]
During the killing spree Dipendra was darting in and out of the room firing shots each time. His mother Queen Aiswarya who came into the room when the first shots were fired quickly left looking for help.[2]
Dipendra's mother and brother Nirajan confronted him in the garden of the palace where they were both shot dead and Dipendra then proceeded to a small bridge over a stream running through the palace where he shot himself.[1]
Aftermath
Dipendra who was in a coma was proclaimed King but he died on June 4, 2001.[3] Gyanendra was appointed regent while his nephew Dipendra lay in a coma and assumed the throne following Dipendra's death. While Dipendra lived Gyanendra had said that the deaths were the result of an "accident" but he later said that this was due to "legal and constitutional hurdles" because under the constitution and by tradition Dipendra could not be accused of being a mass murderer if he had survived.[4] Some Nepalese at the time believed (and many still believe today[5]) that Dipendra was not the murderer and that the whole affair had been arranged by Gyanendra and/or his son Paras. [6] [7]
The widely believed motive is that Dipendra was angry over a marriage
dispute.[8] Dipendra's choice of bride was Devyani Rana, daughter of Pashupati SJB Rana (C Class), a member of the Rana clan, against whom the Shah dynasty have a historic animosity
(in recent times, though, Shah kings and princes have married almost exclusively members of the A Class Rana family.) The Rana
clan had served as the hereditary prime ministers of Nepal until 1951, with the title
A two-man committee comprising Keshav Prasad Upadhaya, the then-Supreme Court Chief Justice, and Taranath Ranabhat, the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, carried out the week-long investigation into the massacre.[10] The investigation concluded, after interviewing more than 100 people including eyewitnesses and palace officials, guards and staff, that Dipendra had carried out the massacre.[11]
Victims of the massacre
Died
- HM King Birendra, father
- HM Queen Aiswarya, mother
- HRH Prince Nirajan, brother
- HRH Princess Shruti, sister
- (HRH Prince) Dhirendra, King Birendra's brother who had renounced his title
- HRH Princess Jayanti, King Birendra's cousin
- HRH Princess Shanti, King Birendra's sister
- HRH Princess Sharada, King Birendra's sister
- Kumar Khadga, Princess Sharada's husband
- Trilochan Acharya, royal palace employee
Wounded
- HRH Princess Shova, King Birendra's sister
- Kumar Gorakh, Princess Shruti's husband
- HRH Princess Komal, Prince (now King) Gyanendra's wife and current Queen
- Ketaki Chester, King Birendra's cousin
- HRH Prince Paras, now Crown Prince, son of Gyanendra
References
- ^ a b c d Massacre witness blames Crown Prince
- ^ Nepal survivors blame prince
- ^ Nepal mourns slain king
- ^ Nepal journalists charged with treason
- ^ Nepal's Royal Massacre in Its Sixth Year
- ^ A History of Nepal, by John Whelpton, 2005.
- ^ Anger in Kathmandu
- ^ Five thousand at Indian wedding
- ^ All linked Dipendra's actions to a clash with his mother over his wish to marry Devyani Rana... It also became clear that he had problems with both drugs and alcohol and, despite his affable public persona, had had a cruel side to his nature. Ibid. Whelpton believes this to be the correct version.
- ^ Nepal massacre inquiry begins, at long last
- ^ Prince blamed for Nepal massacre
External links
- Murder and intrigue in Katmandu (World Tibet News Network)
- Nepal: Murder in Palace, Maoists in Mountains (RWOR)
- Trapped in tradition (Frontline:India's National Magazine)
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