Nepal is once again in the global spotlight, this time due to violence and unrest. The renewed focus has also revived memories of 2001, when the country was thrust into headlines worldwide after the mysterious royal palace massacre, a tragedy that continues to haunt many to this day.
On June 1, 2001, the Nepalese royal family gathered for a regular dinner at the Narayanhiti Palace in Kathmandu. At that time, the 29-year-old prince Dipendra, the first heir to the king, was reportedly drunk.
Dipendra, who was talking on the phone with his girlfriend Devyani Rana, is said to have fainted and was taken to his room by his servants. After some time, Dipendra arrived there in full military uniform, carrying an M-16 rifle and a pistol. Dipendra entered the dining room without saying anything to anyone and first shot King Birendra. In the blink of an eye, he shot and killed 8 more people present there.
Prince Dipendra’s mother Queen Aishwarya, Dipendra’s younger brother Niranjan, Dipendra’s sister Princess Shruti Shah, King Birendra’s brother Prince Dhirendra, Dipendra’s uncle Khadga Shah, Dipendra’s aunts Saratha, Shanti and Jayanti collapsed and died in a pool of blood.
It was reported that Dipendra shot himself after killing nine people. Dipendra was found in a coma with a bullet in his head in the garden at the palace gate. Despite being in a coma, Dipendra was proclaimed the King of Nepal. Dipendra died in hospital four days later. Later, Birendra’s younger brother Gyanendra was crowned as the King.
Immediately after this brutal massacre, an inquiry committee was formed. The inquiry committee was headed by the then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya and the then Speaker of Parliament Taranath Ranabhat. The committee conducted an inquiry for a week and issued a report. In the report, it was said that Prince Dipendra was the one who killed all nine people.
The report stated that Dipendra shot his family members in anger after his parents opposed his marriage to Devyani Rana, his lover. However, the report raised many controversies and doubts.
Dipendra’s uncle Gyanendra was not present at the dinner party when the assassination took place. Also, no one from Gyanendra’s family was seriously injured. Therefore, there is also a suspicion that Gyanendra may have carried out the assassination to seize power. Dipendra was said to have shot himself. Although he was right-handed, the wound on the left side of his head increased suspicion. Questions were also raised as to why the royal family’s security forces did not act when the attack took place.
The assassination shook the monarchy of Nepal. After the death of King Birendra, who was highly respected by the people until then, his younger brother and unpopular Gyanendra became king. After Gyanendra became king, he acted against democracy and retained political powers. In 2005, he took full power into his own hands and dissolved the parliament.
The people held huge protests against his dictatorial tendencies under the name of Loktantra Andolan. Seven major political parties, including the Nepali Congress and the Marxists, formed an alliance with the Maoists. Continuous strikes and protests were held across the country. Lakhs of people gathered in the capital Kathmandu and chanted slogans against the king.
Due to continuous protests and international pressure, King Gyanendra gave up his powers on April 24, 2006 and announced that he would re-establish the parliament. Following this, in 2008, the monarchy was completely abolished in Nepal and a republic was declared. Gyanendra currently lives in a place called Nirmal Niwas in Kathmandu.
Although not a king, he remains a controversial figure in Nepali politics. Recently, due to the political chaos and corruption prevailing in Nepal, many people have been demanding the restoration of the monarchy. The Rashtriya Prajatantra Party is a major political party that demands the restoration of the monarchy and the Hindu Rajya.
Last May, a series of protests erupted in Nepal demanding the restoration of the monarchy, with demonstrators chanting slogans like “Come back, King, save the country.” While monarchs and royal families have faced assassinations in different parts of the world, the 2001 Nepal massacre stands apart. Rarely in history has an entire royal family been wiped out at a gathering, and that too by one of their own.
