Nepalese royal massacre
Encyclopedia
The Nepalese royal massacre occurred on Friday, June 1, 2001, at a house in the grounds of the Narayanhity Royal Palace
, then the residence of the Nepalese monarchy
, when the heir to the throne, Prince Dipendra
killed nine members of his family and himself. However, it hasn't been proven that Dipendra killed his family. The dead included King Birendra of Nepal
and Queen Aiswarya, Dipendra's father and mother. Prince Dipendra became de jure King of Nepal upon his father's death and died whilst in a coma three days after the act; however there are claims that Dipendra was already dead before being declared as the King. Gyanendra
then became king.
, telling his son to leave the party. The drunken Dipendra was taken to his room by his brother Prince Nirajan and cousin Prince Paras
.
One hour later, Dipendra returned to the party armed with an H&K MP5 and an M16
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. He then shot his uncle Dhirendra in the chest at point-blank range when he tried to stop Dipendra. During the shooting, Prince Paras suffered slight injuries and managed to save at least three royals, including two children, by pulling a sofa over them.
During the attack, Dipendra darted in and out of the room firing shots each time. His mother, Queen Aishwarya, who came into the room when the first shots were fired, left quickly, looking for help.
Dipendra's mother Aishwarya and his brother Nirajan confronted him in the garden of the palace, where they were both shot dead. Dipendra then proceeded to a small bridge over a stream running through the palace, where he shot himself. He was said to have shot himself with an AK-47.
was appointed regent for the three days, then ascended the throne himself after Dipendra died.
While Dipendra lived, Gyanendra maintained that the deaths were the result of an "accidental discharge of an automatic weapon". However, he later said that he made this claim due to "legal and constitutional hurdles", since under the constitution, and by tradition, Dipendra could not have been charged with murder had he survived. A full investigation took place, and Crown Prince Dipendra was found to be responsible for the killing.
The widely circulated rumor is that Prince Dipendra was angry over a marriage dispute. Dipendra's choice of bride was Devyani Rana
, daughter of Pashupati SJB Rana, a member of the Rana
clan, against whom the Shah dynasty
have a historic animosity. The Rana clan had served as the hereditary prime ministers of Nepal until 1951, with the title Maharaja
, and the two clans have a long history of inter-marriages.
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
. The investigation concluded, after interviewing more than a hundred people including eyewitnesses and palace officials, guards and staff, that Dipendra had carried out the massacre. Large numbers of critics and Nepalese both inside Nepal and abroad disputed the official report because many evidence and facts reported by the then investigation team seems to be in contradiction in many forms. A close aide of Dipendra when he was prince said," He can give up the throne for the sake of his love, but he can never do this kind of thing."
was responsible for the royal palace massacre in liaison with Research & Analysis Wing of India (R&AW) and CIA of USA on June 1, 2001, and that he had blamed Dipendra so that he could assume the throne himself. Gyanendra was as unpopular in the country as his son Paras. He had been third in line to the throne before the massacre. He was out of town (in Pokhara
) during the massacre and was the closest surviving relative of the king. Gyanendra's wife and son were in the room at the royal palace during the massacre. While his son escaped with slight injuries, his wife was more seriously injured during the incident. However, few people including crown prince Paras survived and coincidentally the then prince Gyanendra had to be out of town that day.
Despite the fact that two survivors have publicly confirmed that Dipendra was doing the shooting, as was documented in a BBC
documentary, many Nepali people still consider it a mystery. Recently, a book was published in Nepal named Raktakunda recounting the massacre. It looks at the incident through the eyes of one of the surviving witnesses, Queen Mother Ratna's personal maid, identified in the book as Shanta. The book, which the author says is a "historical novel", posits that two men masked as Crown Prince Dipendra fired the shots that led to the massacre. Shanta's husband, Trilochan Acharya, also a royal palace employee, was killed along with 10 royal family members, including the entire family of King Birendra. In addition to details of the royal massacre, Shanta alleged many other cover-ups by the royal family, including a claim that the previous king King Mahendra committed suicide.
Narayanhity Royal Palace
The Narayanhiti Palace Museum, or Narayanhiti Durbar , is a palace in Kathmandu, Nepal which long served as a primary residence for the country's monarchs. Narayanhiti, in Narayanhiti Palace, is made up of two words ‘narayan’ and ‘hiti’...
, then the residence of the Nepalese monarchy
Nepalese monarchy
The Kingdom of Nepal , also referred to as the Gorkha Kingdom, was formed in 1768 by the unification of Nepal. Founded by Prithvi Narayan Shah The Kingdom of Nepal , also referred to as the Gorkha Kingdom, was formed in 1768 by the unification of Nepal. Founded by Prithvi Narayan Shah The Kingdom...
, when the heir to the throne, Prince Dipendra
Dipendra of Nepal
Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was a member of the Nepalese Royal Family, who briefly reigned in coma as King of Nepal from the 1st of June to the 4th of June, 2001...
killed nine members of his family and himself. However, it hasn't been proven that Dipendra killed his family. The dead included King Birendra of Nepal
Birendra of Nepal
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was a King of Nepal. The son of King Mahendra, whom he succeeded in 1972, he reigned until his death in the 2001 Nepalese royal massacre...
and Queen Aiswarya, Dipendra's father and mother. Prince Dipendra became de jure King of Nepal upon his father's death and died whilst in a coma three days after the act; however there are claims that Dipendra was already dead before being declared as the King. Gyanendra
Gyanendra of Nepal
Gyanendra Shah was the last King of Nepal. During his life, he has held the title of the King twice: first between 1950 and 1951 as a child when his grandfather Tribhuvan was forced into exile in India with the rest of his family; and from 2001 to 2008, following the Nepalese royal massacre.King...
then became king.
Overview of events
According to reports, Dipendra had been drinking heavily and had "misbehaved" with a guest, which resulted in his father, King BirendraBirendra of Nepal
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was a King of Nepal. The son of King Mahendra, whom he succeeded in 1972, he reigned until his death in the 2001 Nepalese royal massacre...
, telling his son to leave the party. The drunken Dipendra was taken to his room by his brother Prince Nirajan and cousin Prince Paras
Paras, Crown Prince of Nepal
Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev was the heir-apparent to the throne of Nepal from 2001 until the monarchy was abolished by the Interim Constituent Assembly in 2008 following Constituent Assembly elections.-Early life:...
.
One hour later, Dipendra returned to the party armed with an H&K MP5 and an M16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
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. He then shot his uncle Dhirendra in the chest at point-blank range when he tried to stop Dipendra. During the shooting, Prince Paras suffered slight injuries and managed to save at least three royals, including two children, by pulling a sofa over them.
During the attack, Dipendra darted in and out of the room firing shots each time. His mother, Queen Aishwarya, who came into the room when the first shots were fired, left quickly, looking for help.
Dipendra's mother Aishwarya and his brother Nirajan confronted him in the garden of the palace, where they were both shot dead. Dipendra then proceeded to a small bridge over a stream running through the palace, where he shot himself. He was said to have shot himself with an AK-47.
Victims of the massacre
- King BirendraBirendra of NepalBirendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was a King of Nepal. The son of King Mahendra, whom he succeeded in 1972, he reigned until his death in the 2001 Nepalese royal massacre...
, father
- Queen Aishwarya, mother
- Prince (later HM King) DipendraDipendra of NepalDipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was a member of the Nepalese Royal Family, who briefly reigned in coma as King of Nepal from the 1st of June to the 4th of June, 2001...
, perpetrator - Prince Nirajan, brother
- Princess ShrutiPrincess Shruti of NepalPrincess Shruti was the daughter of King Birendra and Queen Aiswarya, and sister of Crown Prince Dipendra and Prince Nirajan. Princess Shruti studied at Kanti Ishwori Sishu Vidhyalaya in Nepal, St. Mary's school in Nepal, and later at Mayo Girls College in Ajmer, India...
, sister - (Prince) Dhirendra, King Birendra's brother who had renounced his title
- Princess Jayanti, King Birendra's cousin
- Princess Shanti, King Birendra's sister
- Princess Sharada, King Birendra's sister
- Kumar Khadga, Princess Sharada's husband
Wounded
- Princess Shova, King Birendra's sister
- Kumar Gaurabh, Princess Shruti's husband
- Princess KomalQueen Komal of NepalQueen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah is the Queen Consort of King Gyanendra of Nepal. She was the last Queen Consort of Nepal before the Monarchy was abolished on 28 May 2008.-Life:...
, Prince (now former King) Gyanendra's wife and former Queen - (Princess) Ketaki Chester, King Birendra's cousin who had renounced her title
- Prince ParasParas, Crown Prince of NepalParas Bir Bikram Shah Dev was the heir-apparent to the throne of Nepal from 2001 until the monarchy was abolished by the Interim Constituent Assembly in 2008 following Constituent Assembly elections.-Early life:...
Aftermath
Dipendra was proclaimed King while in a coma, but he died on June 4, 2001, after a three-day reign. GyanendraGyanendra of Nepal
Gyanendra Shah was the last King of Nepal. During his life, he has held the title of the King twice: first between 1950 and 1951 as a child when his grandfather Tribhuvan was forced into exile in India with the rest of his family; and from 2001 to 2008, following the Nepalese royal massacre.King...
was appointed regent for the three days, then ascended the throne himself after Dipendra died.
While Dipendra lived, Gyanendra maintained that the deaths were the result of an "accidental discharge of an automatic weapon". However, he later said that he made this claim due to "legal and constitutional hurdles", since under the constitution, and by tradition, Dipendra could not have been charged with murder had he survived. A full investigation took place, and Crown Prince Dipendra was found to be responsible for the killing.
The widely circulated rumor is that Prince Dipendra was angry over a marriage dispute. Dipendra's choice of bride was Devyani Rana
Devyani Rana
Devyani Rana was the prospective fiancée of the Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal. She is the daughter of Pashupati Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana and Usharaje Scindia, of the Gwalior royal family...
, daughter of Pashupati SJB Rana, a member of the Rana
Rana dynasty
The Rana dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1953, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other government positions hereditary...
clan, against whom the Shah dynasty
Shah dynasty
The Shah dynasty was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Nepal.-The Rajput Lineage :The former royal family of Nepal claims descent from the Parmar Rajput dynasty of the Narsinghgarh state in Malwa . The famous kings of the Malwa region were Raja Bhrathari, Samrat Vikramaditya, and Raja Bhoj....
have a historic animosity. The Rana clan had served as the hereditary prime ministers of Nepal until 1951, with the title Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
, and the two clans have a long history of inter-marriages.
A two-man committee comprising Keshav Prasad Upadhaya, the then-Supreme Court Chief Justice, and Taranath Ranabhat
Taranath Ranabhat
Taranath Ranabhat is a Nepalese politician. He was elected to the Pratinidhi Sabha in the 1999 election on behalf of the Nepali Congress. Ranabhat served as its chairman from the same year.-References:...
, the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, carried out the week-long investigation into the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
. The investigation concluded, after interviewing more than a hundred people including eyewitnesses and palace officials, guards and staff, that Dipendra had carried out the massacre. Large numbers of critics and Nepalese both inside Nepal and abroad disputed the official report because many evidence and facts reported by the then investigation team seems to be in contradiction in many forms. A close aide of Dipendra when he was prince said," He can give up the throne for the sake of his love, but he can never do this kind of thing."
Conspiracy theories
Subsequently, the chairman of Nepal Maoists Party in a public gathering also stated that the massacre was planned by India. All most all people in Nepal suspected that GyanendraGyanendra of Nepal
Gyanendra Shah was the last King of Nepal. During his life, he has held the title of the King twice: first between 1950 and 1951 as a child when his grandfather Tribhuvan was forced into exile in India with the rest of his family; and from 2001 to 2008, following the Nepalese royal massacre.King...
was responsible for the royal palace massacre in liaison with Research & Analysis Wing of India (R&AW) and CIA of USA on June 1, 2001, and that he had blamed Dipendra so that he could assume the throne himself. Gyanendra was as unpopular in the country as his son Paras. He had been third in line to the throne before the massacre. He was out of town (in Pokhara
Pokhara
Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City is the second largest city of Nepal. Pokhara is city of close to 350,000 inhabitants in central Nepal located at 28.25°N, 83.99°E, which is the centre of the country from east to west or from north to south, 198 km west of Kathmandu or 90 km west of Mugling, and...
) during the massacre and was the closest surviving relative of the king. Gyanendra's wife and son were in the room at the royal palace during the massacre. While his son escaped with slight injuries, his wife was more seriously injured during the incident. However, few people including crown prince Paras survived and coincidentally the then prince Gyanendra had to be out of town that day.
Despite the fact that two survivors have publicly confirmed that Dipendra was doing the shooting, as was documented in a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary, many Nepali people still consider it a mystery. Recently, a book was published in Nepal named Raktakunda recounting the massacre. It looks at the incident through the eyes of one of the surviving witnesses, Queen Mother Ratna's personal maid, identified in the book as Shanta. The book, which the author says is a "historical novel", posits that two men masked as Crown Prince Dipendra fired the shots that led to the massacre. Shanta's husband, Trilochan Acharya, also a royal palace employee, was killed along with 10 royal family members, including the entire family of King Birendra. In addition to details of the royal massacre, Shanta alleged many other cover-ups by the royal family, including a claim that the previous king King Mahendra committed suicide.
External links
- Nepal: Murder in Palace, Maoists in Mountains (RWOR)
- Trapped in tradition (Frontline: India's National Magazine)
- Eyewitness Statements