The Nepali royal massacre occurred on 1 June 2001 at the Narayanhiti Palace, the then-residence of the Nepalese monarchy. Nine members of the royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, were killed in a mass shooting during a gathering of the royal family at the palace. A government-appointed inquiry team named Crown Prince Dipendra as perpetrator of the massacre. Dipendra slipped into a coma after shooting himself in the head.
Dipendra was declared King of Nepal while comatose after the death of King Birendra. He died in hospital three days after the massacre without regaining consciousness. Birendra's brother Gyanendra then became king.
Events
According to eyewitness reports and an official investigation carried out by a two-man committee made up of Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya and Taranath Ranabhat, the speaker of the House of Representatives concluded:On 1 June 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra opened fire at a house on the grounds of the Narayanhity Palace, the residence of the Nepalese monarchy, where a party was being held. He shot and killed his father, King Birendra, his mother, Queen Aishwarya, and seven other members of the royal family including his younger brother and sister before shooting himself in the head. Due to his wiping out of most of the line of succession, Dipendra became king while in a comatose state from the head wound.Dipendra's motive for the murders is unknown, there are various theories. Dipendra wanted to marry Devyani Rana, whom he had met in the United Kingdom. Some allege that, due to her mother's family being lower-class royal of India and her father's political alliances, the royal family objected. In fact, Devyani's Gwalior family were one of the wealthiest former royal families of India, and allegedly far wealthier than the Nepalese monarchs. The prospective bride's mother warned her daughter that marrying the Nepalese crown prince might mean a drop in her standard of living. Dipendra's prospective bride, chosen by the royal family, was from the main branch of the Nepalese Rana dynasty, the Chandra Shumsher line.
Another theory states that there was a higher possibility of Indian influence if Dipendra would be married to Devyani, to which the palace objected. Other theories allege that Dipendra was unhappy with the country's shift from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy, and that too much power had been given away following the 1990 People's Movement.
Much controversy surrounds the circumstances of the massacre, and even today, with the abolition of the monarchy following the 2006 revolution, many questions remain unresolved. Questions that remain unsolved include: the apparent lack of security at the event; the absence of the Prince Gyanendra, Dipendra's uncle who succeeded him; Dipendra's self-inflicted head-wound located at his left temple, despite being right-handed; and the duration of the subsequent investigation, which lasted for only two weeks and did not involve any major forensic analysis, despite an offer by Scotland Yard to carry one out.
Victims
Killed
King Birendra
Queen Aishwarya
Crown Prince (later king) Dipendra, King Birendra's elder son (perpetrator) Prince Nirajan, King Birendra's younger son Princess Shruti, King Birendra's daughter Prince Dhirendra, King Birendra's younger brother, who had renounced his title Princess Shanti, King Birendra's eldest sister, also Rani of Bajhang Princess Sharada, King Birendra's middle sister Kumar Khadga, Princess Sharada's husband Princess Jayanti, King Birendra's first cousin, and sister of Mrs. Ketaki Chester
Wounded
Princess Shova, King Birendra's youngest sister
Kumar Gorakh, Princess Shruti's husband
Princess Komal, Prince Gyanendra's wife and last Queen of Nepal
Ketaki Chester, King Birendra's first cousin, who had renounced her title (and middle sister of Princess Jayanti)
Aftermath
The following day, the members of the Royal Family were given a state funeral and were cremated in front of Pashupatinath Temple. Dipendra was proclaimed king while comatose but died on 4 June 2001. Gyanendra was appointed regent for the three days, and then ascended the throne himself after the death of Dipendra.
When Dipendra was unconscious, Gyanendra maintained that the deaths were the result of an "accidental discharge of an automatic weapon" within the royal palace. Later, he 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 Dipendra was found responsible for the killing.