Nepalese royal massacre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nepalese royal massacre |
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The Narayanhiti Palace, former home of the royal family. Following the abdication of the king and the founding of a republic, the building and its grounds have been turned into a museum.
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| Location | Tribhuvan Sadan, Narayanhiti Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Coordinates | 27°42′56″N 85°19′12″E / 27.7156°N 85.32°E |
| Date | 1 June 2001 (19 Jestha 2058 Nepal B.S.) Around 21:00 (UTC+05:45) |
| Target | The Nepalese royal family |
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| Deaths | 10 (including the perpetrator) |
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Non-fatal injuries
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5 |
| Assailant | Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal |
The Nepalese royal massacre occurred on 1 June 2001 at the Narayanhiti Palace, the then-residence of the Nepali 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 wounding himself in the head.
Dipendra was declared King of Nepal while comatose after murdering his father and brothers. He died in hospital three days after the massacre without regaining consciousness. Birendra's brother Gyanendra then became king.
Motives
Dipendra's motive for the murders is unknown, and 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 from lower-class royals 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. Even after the abolition of the monarchy following the 2006 revolution, many questions remain unanswered. 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, although he was 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)
See also
- List of massacres in Nepal
- List of regicides
- 2009 attack on the Dutch royal family
- Murder of the Romanov family
