Dipendra of Nepal

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Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
Late King of Nepal
Reign 1 June 2001 - 4 June 2001
Born June 27, 1971
Died 4 June 2001
Predecessor Birendra of Nepal
Successor Gyanendra of Nepal
Royal House Shah dynasty
Father Birendra of Nepal
Mother Aiswarya

Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, King of Nepal (June 27, 1971 – June 4, 2001) was King of Nepal from June 1 to June 4, 2001. He was accused of killing his family at a royal dinner on June 1, 2001. Dipendra was also mortally wounded, by a handgun shot to the left side of his skull; however he was right handed, according to the maid of the queen's mother. With the murder of his father, he officially became king for the three days he lingered in a coma.

Contents

[edit] Education

Dipendra was educated at Eton College, England, and according to the Irish Times of June 4, 2001, "was reportedly excused from chapel when he turned 18. According to Nepali tradition, the prince effectively became a god on his birthday and he could not be seen worshipping another." The report also noted that the prince had been disciplined while at Eton for selling alcohol.

After Eton, he attended Tribhuvan University in Nepal and later joined the Royal Nepal Military Academy. He was known to have been skilled in kung fu.

[edit] Motive for murder

It is still unclear who was behind the killings. Some people believe that Gyanendra was the main suspected mastermind behind the royal palace massacre on 1 June 2001 and blamed Dipendra. However according to unverified reports Dipendra assassinated family members because of anger over a marriage dispute. Dipendra's choice of a bride was Devyani Rana, a member of the Rana clan, wagainst whom the Shah family of kings have an historic animosity. (In recent times, though, Shah kings and princes have married almost exclusively members of the Rana family.) 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.

According to official accounts, Dipendra was denied his choice of a wife by his mother, and so he massacred his family in a much-publicised incident after indulging in a drinking binge. Among the dead were his father King Birendra, mother, brother, and sister. Dipendra survived comatose for three days, and was proclaimed king in his hospital bed. He died of his injuries on June 4 and was succeeded by his uncle, Prince Gyanendra [1].

Gyanendra, not as beloved in the country as his brother Birendra, 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 son, Crown Prince Paras, was reportedly in the royal palace during the massacre but escaped serious injury.


Several survivors have publicly confirmed that Dipendra was doing the shooting, as was documented in a BBC documentary.

But the murder still remains a mystery to most Nepalese. Recently a Nepali novel has been published named "Raktakunda" which recounts the 2001 Royal Massacre. This novel 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", claims that two men masked as Crown Prince Dipendra had fired the shots that led to the massacre in which Shanta's husband Trilochan Acharya, who too was a royal palace employee was killed, besides the 10 royal family members, including the entire family of King Birendra. The 22-chapter book which includes a conclusion also makes many surprising revelations, like "King Mahendra didn't die of a heart attack; he committed suicide," among others.

[edit] 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

Wounded

  • HRH Princess Shova, King Birendra's sister
  • Kumar Gorakh, Princess Sruti's husband
  • HRH Princess Komal, Prince (now King) Gyanendra's wife and current Queen
  • Ketaki Chester, King Birendra's cousin

Note: Dipendra died three days later. Kumar Khadga's mother Bodh Kumari Shah was an indirect casualty. She reportedly died of shock on hearing of her son's death.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Birendra		 Crown Prince of Nepal
1971-2001		 Vacant
Title next held by
Paras
Preceded by
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah		 King of Nepal
2001		 Succeeded by
Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah
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