THE NATION REMEMBERS YOU YOUR MAJESTY

Nepal's King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Queen Aiswarya, Prince Niranjan and Princess Shruti, along with eight others, were shot dead by Crown Prince Dipendra after a dispute over his marriage in Kathmandu late on Friday night.

Sources in Kathmandu that the crown prince, who also shot himself, was anointed king on Saturday afternoon. Some reports said the prince had a feeble pulse and underwent an operation, but was now said to be 'brain dead.' Sources in Kathmandu said he would officially be declared dead after his parents' funeral on Saturday.

The tragedy occurred at the Narayanahity palace after dinner, when 29-year-old Dipendra opened fire on his family, following arguments over his choice of bride, which was reportedly opposed by the queen.

His brother Niranjan, 22, and sister, Shruti, 25, a mother of two children, were among those killed in the massacre, that occurred at around 2300 hours local time, sources close to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said.

Also killed were King Birendra's sisters Princesses Sharda and Shanti and his brother-in-law Kumar Khadga. Another member of the family, Prince Dhirendra, was critically wounded. As one observer pointed out, it was the worst royal massacre since the Communists killed Tsar Nicholas II and his family in Russia in November 1917.

Earlier, it was reported that King Birendra would be succeeded by his younger brother Prince Gyanendra, who was not in Kathmandu when tragedy struck. Prince Gyanendra, who flew to the capital from the winter palace in Pokhra, will be the regent.

The Raj Parishad or state council standing committee, which acts as the royal advisory body, convened an emergency session to assess the situation. The council, which includes the prime minister, chief justice and commander-in-chief of the armed forces among others, oversees the royalty.

It is empowered to decide 'whether His Majesty is mentally or physically incapacitated,' pass 'a resolution confirming such incapacity by a majority of two-thirds of its total membership,' and 'proclaim the crown prince to be the regent if he has attained the age of eighteen years,' and 'in other circumstances, it shall, subject to rules made by His Majesty, proclaim a Regent or Council of Regency.'

Many residents of Kathmandu, who woke up to the shocking news, collected near the palace, which had been cordoned off by the police. State radio and television did not broadcast morning news bulletins. Instead, it extended the religious programmes which are beamed every morning.

According to some reports, astrologers had advised the royal family that Dipendra, who had been educated at Eton, should not be allowed to marry or have children until 35. Dipendra would have turned 30 on June 27.

The seers had apparently warned that if the directive was not followed, the king would die.

Sources said the prince wished to marry the daughter of a former minister, a member of the aristocratic Ranas who ruled Nepal until 1951.

King Birendra, 55, had ruled as an absolute monarch from 1972 until 1990, when his role became constitutional, following a popular people's uprising. He ascended the throne on January 31, 1972, succeeding his father King Mahendra.

Born on December 28, 1945 at the same palace where he was assassinated, Birendra was also educated at Eton, besides the University of Tokyo and Harvard University. He married Queen Aiswarya in February 1970.

The massacre comes at a time of political woes in Nepal, as Opposition parties have been demanding Koirala's resignation for his government's alleged role in a bribery scandal and for not quelling a Maoist insurgency.

Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Paudel confirmed that Dipendra was responsible for the massacre, ruling out any involvement of Maoist rebels who have been waging an insurgency since 1996, seeking to overthrow the monarchy.

"This is the most unfortunate and shocking event," Paudel said.

Prince Gyanendra, 54, has had a chequered career, setting up a popular trekking route and leading conservation efforts on one hand, while embarrassing the royal family with unpaid utility bills and a controversial son on the other hand.

In January, the Nepal Samacharpatra newspaper reported that Gyanendra owed more than Rs 10 million to the state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority. Last August, hundreds took to the streets after his son Paras Shah knocked down wellknown singer Praveen Gurung, apparently the younger prince's third victim in four years.

The infant Gyanendra was monarch for about two months in 1950-51, when his father then crown prince Mahendra, grandfather King Tribhuvan and other members of the royal family including then prince Birendra fled to India to escape political turmoil at home.

The political situation in Nepal is slowly becoming clearer, but what exactly happened at the royal family dinner on the night of June 1 remains a mystery.

According to sources in the Nepalese government, though Princess Shruti, daughter of King Birendra, was killed in the incident, her husband, Gorakh Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana, who was also injured, has survived.

"If he lives, he will be the only one who will be able to tell us what transpired on that tragic night," said a senior Nepalese journalist.

Princess Shruti and Gorakh Shamsher Rana have two children aged 7 years and 3 months, respectively.

The sources also said there was a strong possibility that after the shooting, when Crown Prince Dipendra exited the room, he was shot by the slain king's outraged aide-de-camp.

A section of the crowd that had gathered on Saturday evening for the funeral of King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, their son Prince Niranjan and daughter Princess Shruti, became unruly and pelted stones at Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and his ministerial colleagues, sources in Kathmandu said.

The cremation of the rest of the slain royal family members will be conducted later, officials in Kathmandu said.

The king's funeral procession ended at the Pashupati Arya Ghat, near the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, later in the evening.

The procession, which began from the military hospital, passed through Swayambhu, Shovabhagwati, Chattrapati, Thamel, Kamal Pokhari and Gynaneshwar precincts of the capital and was telecast live by Nepali Television.

Meanwhile, sources confirmed that doctors have taken Crown Prince Dipendra off the ventilator and life-support systems. "He will be officially declared dead after the royal funeral," they said.

There is scepticism in Kathmandu about the official version that Nepal Crown Prince Dipendra killed his father, mother, brother, sister and aunts in a rage after Queen Aiswarya rejected his choice of bride.

Anil Ojha, editor, Radio Nepal, told rediff.com, "We don't know who killed the king. The story that has come out is speculative. Who opened fire at King Birendra is not known at all."

Sources in Kathmandu claimed the prince wanted to marry Devyani Rana, daughter of former minister Pashupati Sumsher J B Rana. Harvard-educated Rana is a relative of the Scindias of Gwalior and was general secretary of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party. However, his mother wanted the prince to marry a girl from the imperial Shah clan. Devyani Rana is Congress general secretary Madhavrao Scindia's niece.

Dipendra, who is in a critical condition after shooting himself on Friday night, has been anointed king by the Raj Parishad.

According to a senior journalist in Kathmandu, the prince had changed his lifestyle in recent years, positively. Negative reports about his youth had created problems for him. He has since taken keen interest in improving Nepal's performance in sport and other fields.

Government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told rediff.com: "It was known that heated arguments were going on for the last few months over the selection of a suitable bride for the prince. But nobody in their wildest imagination thought of such an end to a domestic dispute."

Sanjay Bajaj, a resident of Kathmandu, told rediff.com in a telephone conversation: "I have been staying here for the last 22 years. King Birendra was loved by Nepalis. He was God. Till late afternoon, people thought it was not true. They believed the news only when Nepal television announced it."

Bajaj, who owns a shop near the palace where the king lived, said, "People feel a family member has died. They were genuinely attached to Raja Birendra."

President George W Bush, Jr, who is spending the weekend at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, expressed dismay and sorrow at the murders of King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya of Nepal.

Bush got news of the murders through National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

In a statement issued by the White House, Bush said his prayers were with the government and the people of the Himalayan kingdom of 24 million people.

"I am deeply saddened and shocked at King Birendra's untimely death. I also mourn the loss of Queen Aishwarya and other family members and extend my deepest sympathies to the king's extended family," he said.

Bush also conveyed his "condolences to the Nepalese people during this difficult period", saying, "Our prayers are with the government and the people of Nepal."

Meanwhile, at the state department, a spokesman said, "We're monitoring the situation closely. We'll keep Americans in Nepal informed of developments that could possibly affect their security."

"The assassination didn't seem politically motivated," the spokesman added.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan also said he was "profoundly shocked".

A spokesman for Annan said, "He is deeply saddened by the tragedy. The secretary general extends his heartfelt condolences to the people of Nepal and calls for calm and stability in this difficult period."

Moments after King Birendra and 11 of his family members were killed rumours of an army coup gripped Nepal.

Fears of a coup increased after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala went incommunicado in the palace for several hours after the massacre.

According to sources, Koirala's family tried frantically to get in touch with the prime minister, who emerged from the palace only at about 0600 on Saturday. He had gone inside at about 2300 on Friday, as soon as he was informed of the gruesome incident.

"There were serious fears. We were worried," officials in Kathmandu admitted.

The official said Koirala's family contacted his Cabinet colleagues and senior Nepalese government officials to find out his whereabouts. "But there was no information coming through," the official said.

The belief that Crown Prince Dipendra would not carry out such a massacre prompted people to attribute other motives to the killings. "We thought probably the army was behind it," admitted a source close to the palace. And when the prime minister disappeared inside for such a long time, "our fears only heightened", the source said.

Outraged and confused by the slaughter of their royal family, Nepalese citizens are staging protests against almost everyone.

A day after the funeral of King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, Prince Niranjan and Princess Shruti, protestors took to the streets in Kathmandu, shouting slogans against the new king Dipendra, who had killed his own family. Protests were also staged against the Girija Prasad Koirala government and India.

Small crowds of a few hundred people gathered outside the royal palace and on other city street corners, shouting slogans, wailing, sometimes silent.

Several groups of protestors marched outside the palace opposing the appointment of Dipendra as king. They shouted slogans against the appointment of a man who had killed the royal family.

Protests were also staged in the city against Koirala's government. Yesterday, during the funeral procession, some people had stoned Koirala's car and heckled some of his ministerial colleagues.

But what surprised Indian observers on Sunday was the sudden protest in the New Road area. New Road has several shops owned by Indians and is a booming market for electronic goods, cosmetics and readymade clothes.

On Sunday afternoon, after Indian newspapers reached the city, protestors began pelting stones at establishments on New Road, angered by a file picture of King Dipendra inspecting a gun.

Last December, protestors had attacked several Indian shops in the area after the local media had reported, falsely as it turned out, that Bollywood heart-throb Hrithik Roshan had made some anti-Nepal statements.

"We do not yet know if the attacks were pre-planned," an Indian official in Kathmandu said.

Reports of protests are also pouring in from other parts of Nepal. The common people looked upon the monarchy as a saving grace in a country that is struggling with its nascent democracy. After almost a decade of parliamentary democracy, Nepal is struggling through a period of political instability, corruption and stymied growth.

It is among the world's poorest countries, with a high rate of illiteracy and poverty. An armed Maoist movement virtually rules 10 districts, where murders of policemen are a daily affair.

The decade of democracy has further disillusioned the people, who see no good in most political leaders. "What has been seen is the outrage of the crowd against the political leaders. They blame them for even this massacre," a Nepalese official commented.

But the attacks on establishments owned by Indians and anti-India demonstrations have worried several people. "We hope vested interests won't take advantage of the present development," the official added.

King's gift proved to be royal family's doom
Josy Joseph in Kathmandu

A rare gift that King Birendra gave his son wiped out almost all of Nepal's royal family on Friday, investigators believe.

Reliable sources in the Himalayan kingdom's government said it was an Uzi submachine-gun that the king had gifted Crown Prince Dipendra that was used to kill 12 members of the royal family.

Investigators and intelligence agencies are piecing together the sequence of events that culminated in the gruesome and mindless murder of the king, Queen Aishwarya and their children Prince Niranjan and Princess Shruti, among others.

King Birendra had gifted Uzi submachine-guns to both Dipendra and Niranjan some time back, the sources said. And it was one of those that turned out to be the murder weapon.

According to a reliable account of the events of Friday night put together by investigators, the murders were an angry reaction on the spur of the moment from the crown prince, who has since been crowned king though he is in a coma and believed to be dead.

Traditionally, the extended royal family got together for dinner at the palace on the first Friday of every month. The king's immediate family always had dinner together every Friday, an official said.

On June 1, the dinner was attended by King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, their sons, Crown Prince Dipendra and Prince Niranjan, daughter Princess Shruti and son-in-law Gorakh Shumsher Rana.

Among others present was the king's youngest brother Prince Dhirendra, who had been removed from the royalty but had recently found his way back. Also present was Prince Paras, son of Prince Gyanendra, the late king's brother who has now been appointed regent.

Prince Paras is infamous in the kingdom for his recklessness, and is accused of at least three murders, including the crushing to death of a Nepalese singer under the wheels of his vehicle. Under the country's constitution, however, the royal family enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution.

As the royal family sat down to dinner on Friday night, the issue of Prince Dipendra's alleged affair with Devyani Rana came up.

The matter was not new. The royal family had witnessed much tension between the royal couple and the crown prince on the subject. Dipendra and Devyani had been spotted dancing together at some of Kathmandu's discos in the past. But the king and the queen opposed his plan to marry her for two reasons: One, astrologers had advised against his marriage before the age of 35. Second, the queen felt Devyani was not suited for the prince.

Six months back, after a heated argument with the king, Crown Prince Dipendra had disappeared, and was traced to an army camp near the Tibetan border almost a week later. "That was the last time we heard anything in public about the dispute over his desire to marry Devyani," said the official quoted earlier.

On Friday, however, the debate resumed at the dinner table as the king was relaxing with a glass of cognac. Birendra was known to enjoy his drinks, but never overindulged, especially after he suffered a heart attack some time back.

Dipendra, under pressure for a long time, was drunk. In recent times the restless prince had complained a couple of times to people outside the palace about having nothing worthwhile to do. He was 30, unable to marry the girl he loved, and had nothing productive to do except inaugurating some exhibition or playing the superficial role of crown prince.

As the arguments progressed in front of the entire royal clan, the king put his foot down. An angry Birendra told his son that he could marry Devyani if that was what he wanted, but he would have to give up his status in the royal family.

After some hot words, Dipendra was taken to his bedroom and laid in bed by his younger brother Niranjan and Prince Paras.

Paras then left for his home in Maharajganj, believe investigators. Minutes later, however, Dipendra returned to the dining room, high on alcohol and probably drugs and carrying his father's gift, the Uzi.

Investigators are yet to confirm what and how much the prince had consumed. But he was in a fury, outraged by his parents' apparent lack of concern for his emotions and their stoic threat to strip him of his status as crown prince.

Losing all control, Dipendra opened fire on his family, spraying bullets on all those assembled in the dining room. Thereafter, he put a pistol to his temple and pulled the trigger.

Investigators discounted claims by a section of the media that the prince had a bullet in his back. "He fired into his temple. There is an exit wound on the back of his head," an official said.

A medical bulletin on Sunday evening continued to state that King Dipendra was in a 'critical' state. But officials said he was dead and had been kept alive on a ventilator. "He will be declared dead later," they said.

Nepal royal family killed by
automatic weapon: Gyanendra
In the first official announcement on Friday night's mayhem, Nepal on Sunday said that King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and six other members of the royal family were killed by automatic weapon fire but gave no details as to who was behind it.
King Birendra, the Queen, Prince Niranjan and Crown Prince Dipendra, now King, along with other relatives attending a weekend dinner at Narayanhity Palace on Friday night were injured and rushed to the Birendra Military Hospital at Chhauni, acting king Gyanendra said in a statement aired by Nepal TV and Radio and released by the official RSS news agency.

This is the first official statement since the bizarre shooting incident took place inside the palace but, contrary to newspaper reports, made no mention that Dipendra had fired the automatic weapon at his father, mother, sister and brother.

Gyanendra said despite utmost efforts made by the doctors at the hospital, the King and his family members could not be saved.

The statement in Nepali said the State Council (Raj Parishad) after due deliberation as per the Constitution, decided to declare Dipendra as the King.

Dipendra, according to it, was at present unable to discharge his duties since he was in a critical condition in a hospital and, therefore, Gyanendra, the late King's younger brother, had been appointed as the Regent in the absence of the new King.

"The responsibility is now on the shoulders of Rajya Sahayak (Regent) Gyanendra, it said.

Influential Nepali English daily The Kathmandu Post on Sunday reported that Dipendra, who had 'killed' his father, mother and other royals with an automatic weapon following a dispute over his marriage plans, was in a critical condition and had been put on a ventilator. The paper said Dipendra had 'shot himself' after the incident.

However, official sources said Dipendra had received gun shot wounds on his back.

Meanwhile, official news agency RSS said the ashes of the king, queen and other royals would be immersed in the river Ganga. However, it did not give details as to when it would take place. As confusion prevailed in the city, people looked for open shops to stock essential commodities and traffic was low on roads.

Mystery of Nepal massacre
perpetrator deepens
Sujit Chatterjee in Kathmandu
The mystery behind the identity of the perpetrator of the massacre of Nepal's royal family deepened after Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Paudel on Sunday withdrew his statement that crown prince Dipendra had shot dead the royal family.

"I never said that the crown prince did it," Paudel said.

Paudel's statement - to the effect that Dipendra had killed the family members - was widely quoted.

Statements by newly-appointed regent Prince Gyanendra and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Sunday that the massacre was an 'accident' only added to the mystery.

Meanwhile, the condition of Prince Dipendra, declared as the new king, remained 'critical'.

On Sunday, in the first official statement on the incident, Prince Gyanendra said King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and six others of the royal family were killed in an automatic weapon fire and described the tragedy as an 'accident'.

"The incident took place after an automatic weapon suddenly exploded," Prince Gyanendra said in a statement broadcast over state-run TV and radio.

The regent said that 'as his majesty the king (Dipendra) is under intensive medical treatment and unable to perform his duties, the nation's responsibilities have come upon our shoulders'.

"I believe I will receive full support and cooperation from the Nepalese people," he added.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala also issued a statement on Sunday blaming 'accidental firing of an automatic weapon' for the royal massacre on Friday night.

Koirala went on to say that the incident occurred after an accidental firing of an automatic weapon seriously injured the king, the queen, the crown prince and members of the royal family.

"They were rushed to the hospital, where, despite the efforts of the doctors, his majesty, the king passed away," Koirala said.

The statement by the regent and the prime minister were silent on the identity of the person who reportedly fired upon the royal family during the family dinner.

Meanwhile, the condition of the crown prince remained 'critical' at the Birendra Army hospital where doctors were trying to save his life. He was in coma and had been put on a ventilator and other life support systems.

Official sources, on condition of anonymity, maintained that 29-year-old Dipendra had received bullet wounds in his back.

The Himalayan kingdom, including the capital, remained by and large peaceful except for sporadic incidents of violence.

Flags flew at half mast as part of the 13-day state mourning. The entire state machinery has been shut down for five days.

Meanwhile, official news agency RSS said the ashes of the king, queen and other royals would be immersed in the river Ganga. However, it did not give details as to when it would take place.

As confusion prevailed in the city, people looked for open shops to stock essential commodities and traffic was low on city roads.

Prince Gyanendra was crowned King of Nepal at 1100 hours on Monday at the Nyasal Chowk of Hanuman Dhoka Palace, the Nepali Times reported.


As auspicious music played in the background, Nepal Radio in a live broadcast said the Bada Guru placed the crown on the new king.

The king then sat on Nepal's Naga Throne. Also present on the occasion were the prime minister, the chief justice, senior government officials and other members of the Royal Palace and senior generals of the Royal Nepal Army, including the Chief of Army Staff Prajwalla S J B Rana.

All those present ceremonially placed silver coins on the ground before paying their respects ( daam rakhne).

Maoists call royal killings a conspiracy
Josy Joseph in Kathmandu
The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which has been carrying on an armed movement against the Nepalese establishment, has termed the killing of King Birendra and other members of the royal family as a "pre-planned massacre".

In a statement issued in Kathmandu, they have threatened to step up their struggle in the wake of the killing of the king who had "liberal thoughts".

"Koirala, and the India capitalist, hegemonist rulers and other national and international fundamental reactionists could not tolerate late King Birendra's liberal thoughts," the underground president of the Maoists, Prajanda, said in the statement.

Over a 1,000 people have died in the bloody Maoist struggle in Nepal. The Maoists writ runs large in at least eight districts of the country.

"The drama seen while performing the last rites clearly proves that the massacre is a result of conspiracy," the statement said.

"To think that King Birendra's patriotic stand and liberal political ideology were not the reasons for the royals' death would be misleading," he said.

The statement said, "This pre-planned massacre designed in this political background will have a long-term affect on the future of Nepal and Nepali history."

"This massacre portrays the end of the present political system," he said.

It also said that the Maoists would be stepping up their "peoples' movement" to greater heights to remove the curtains on the massacre and to prevent such massacres in the future.

"This has proved the relevance of our proposal for an all-party convention, the formation of the interim government and a new Constitution," the statement said.

Gyanendra makes the right noises
Josy Joseph in Kathmandu

King Gyanendra, who took over on Monday as Nepal's new monarch, has played his cards well so far, say royal observers.

A senior Nepalese historian told rediff.com that the new king's refusal to name his 'wild' son Paras as the crown prince "seems to have been taken considering the public mood". Traditionally, when a new king is sworn in, he announces the queen and the crown prince too.

"The late King Birendra did so, his father King Mahendra also announced the two names together," he noted.

Traditionally too, the king's wife becomes queen and the eldest son is named crown prince.

On Monday, after his coronation, Gyanendra announced his wife as the queen, but made no mention of the crown prince. Gyanendra's wife, Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah, who too was injured in Friday night's bloody shootout, is recovering at the Birendra Army Hospital in Chhauni, Kathmandu.

A leading industrialist close to the palace said, "Probably the new king realizes how unpopular Prince Paras is."

Paras, Gyanendra's only son, is known for his wild ways. He is accused of having killed at least four people in the past. Recently, a popular Nepalese singer was said to been killed under the wheels of his vehicle.

The crowds that have been pouring into the streets of Kathmandu since the massacre have been accusing Paras of playing a key role in the conspiracy to eliminate the royal family.

Coincidentally, Paras himself escaped unhurt, though he had attended the fateful dinner on Friday at the Narayanhity Royal Palace. According to police and army officers, he had left for home a few minutes before the massacre.

Nepal's crime of the century is believed to have been committed by the late King Dipendra because the royal family, especially the queen, refused to let him marry Devyani Rana, daughter of a former Nepalese minister and grandniece of the late Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia of Gwalior.

"From whatever the new king told the nation yesterday, he seems to be making his moves very calculatedly and in keeping with royal traditions," the historian noted.

The king ordered a three-member commission to probe the Friday massacre and promised to uphold democracy in Nepal. He told the country that as the regent he could not come out with the truth about the killings because of constitutional and legal constraints. But now that the constraints are gone, the truth will out.

[Later on Tuesday afternoon, however, a political crisis seemed to be developing over the commission's appointment, with both the political nominees -- the leader of the Opposition and the speaker of the National Assembly -- indicating their reluctance to be a part of it.]

"The crown prince under our hereditary monarchy should be the eldest son of the king. Probably, the king might wait for Paras to change his style and later proclaim him the crown prince," the historian said.

But there is a section of opinion that feels Paras need not be named the heir apparent at all. "It is the king's prerogative. He could appoint any other close male member of the royal family as the crown prince," said a source close to the palace.

Speaker, Oppn leader
say 'no' to probe panel
Josy Joseph in Kathmandu
Speaker of Parliament Taranath Ranabhat and opposition leader Madhav Kumar Nepal Tuesday refused to be part of an inquiry committee, headed by Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyay, following the massacre of many members of the royal family in Nepal.

The panel, appointed by King Gyanendra, was to have presented its report within three days. The report was to have been made public, too.

Both the political nominees of the three-member commission indicated to the chairman of the commission, the chief justice of Nepal, that they would not like to be associated with it, fearing popular backlash and objecting to the announcement of the commission by the king.

While Madhav Nepal has nominated another senior member of his party to be a member of the commission, the speaker has not suggested any nominee. The opposition leader has suggested Bharat Mohan Adhikary, chief whip of Communist Party of Nepal (UML) in the national assembly.

The chief justice summoned both leaders to his residence, and was trying to persuade the two not to disassociate themselves from the commission. Both commission members have yet not officially conveyed their reluctance, sources said.

The political figures believe that the king has no right to appoint a commission under the Constitution of Nepal. "Only the cabinet can appoint a commission," a member of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), headed by Madhav Nepal, told rediff.com.

The speaker too has cited similar reasons.

There is also fear in political circles that if the commission comes out with findings that are not acceptable to public psyche, it may backfire on the parties.

In fact, political groups believe that the commission would only iterate the accepted theory that it was Crown Prince Dipendra who shot dead the entire royalty.

"But people don't believe that," said a political leader. He pointed out that the mass feeling was that there was a conspiracy behind the massacre and those who have finally gained from the developments are behind it.

The crowds accuse, to a little extent, King Gyanendra and to a larger extent his son Prince Paras, of having a role in the conspiracy.

Meanwhile, Dhirendra Shah, the youngest brother of the late King Birendra, died on Monday evening after struggling for his life for three days. His elder brother Gyanendra is the new King of Nepal.

Dhirendra Shah had sustained a bullet injury on his neck, during the Friday night shootout at the royal palace.

The killing was allegedly carried out by the late King Dipendra, who was said to have shot all of them dead and then shot himself.

Dhirendra Shah is the only immediate member of the royal family who had renounced his princely title. In 1989, he gave it up after he married a foreigner, after divorcing his first wife Princess Prekshya Shah.

According to hospital officials, the new Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah, who was also injured in the shootout, is recovering satisfactorily. She is the wife of King Gyanendra.

Hospital sources said Princess Shobha Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah too was improving. Another victim of the shoot out, Ketki Chester was supposed to undergo reconstructive surgery to cover up the tissue loss in her left shoulder.

All victims of the shootout have been admitted to the Birendra Army Hospital at Chhauni in Kathmandu.

Royal astrologer rubbishes
claims on Dipendra
Josy Joseph in Kathmandu
A key royal astrologer has refuted claims that Crown Prince Dipendra was not being allowed to marry before 35 because of warnings that it would lead to the death of his father King Birendra.

The astrologer said the predictions being attributed to royal astrologers could probably be "by some amateurs, and there are no mathematical reasons behind it".

Media reports have been claiming that the palace did not want Dipendra to marry before 35, because of astrologers' warnings.

Dr M R Joshi, who was the most regular royal astrologer, told rediff.com in an exclusive interview, "There were no such warnings that I know of. If there were any, they would have been by some amateurs."

He dismissed the warning, asking, "So, if that was the case, why did all this happen now?"

He pointed out: ''Firstly, there were no such warnings given by the royal astrologers, and secondly, even if anyone else gave such a warning, their statements have no basis. Let them prove the mathematical calculations behind it."

Dr Joshi, who is also chairman of the Nepal Calendar Committee, which fixes auspicious dates, astrological calendars and carries out several important religious activities of Nepal, said that the royalty had never consulted him to find out if Dipendra should marry before 35, or later.

He is the most regular of royal astrologers, and inherited the position from his father, who was in the team of astrologers that prepared the personal astrological calendar of the late King Dipendra, who is being accused of killing the entire royalty.

On the sixth day of the birth of a baby, Nepalis prepare the child's personal astrological calendar, impact of his birth on parents and for himself.

Incidentally, the late King Dipendra was a student of Joshi at Tribhuvan University, where the astrologer also teaches geography for master's courses. Joshi has also taught King Gyanendra.

He said there are several people who pretend to be astrologers, with little knowledge of Sanskrit and astrology.

"There should be some astronomical and astrological basis," he said.

He said the palace had never asked him to do any prediction on such an aspect. "Whenever they (the palace) call, we go. Without assignment, we don't go," he said.

Usually, the palace consulted him and other royal astrologers on auspicious timings to travel out of Nepal or to conduct ceremonies.

For King Birendra, who was born in Libra (Tula Rasi), this was a very bad period. "Jupiter, Saturn and Sun were in the same house," he said. In such cases, one could lose one's life, can be displaced or lose money.

This bad period for King Birendra was to end July 13, he said.

He warned that Saturn is in a "very bad position" and it "is not just bad for Nepal, but for the whole world."

The astrologer said that he had not yet done any detailed studies on the present crisis.

Royal massacre survivor blames Dipendra
Josy Joseph in Kathmandu
With the palace's consent, survivors of the royal massacre are beginning to speak out, confirming that it was Crown Prince Dipendra who mowed down eight royals. However, all versions leave several questions.

Captain Rajiv Rai Shahi, son-in-law of the late Prince Dhirendra, told a group of journalists that it was a drunk Dipendra who shot dead all royals in over 15 minutes, and with several bursts of his assault rifles. Shahi did not answer questions from journalists, while not giving any explanation about why Dipendra suddenly began to shoot the royals.

Captain Shahi said the royals had begun to gather at the L-shaped drawing room of Dipendra's living cottage in the palace by about 19:30 hours that Friday. At about 20:45, Dipendra came in -- he was "drunk and stuttering".

He was taken to his bedroom by Rajiv Sahi, Dipendra's younger brother Niranjan and King Gyanendra's son Paras.

"By about 2100 hours he came back in battle fatigues" with assault rifles in his hands and "first the king was shot down", Shahi said.

"There was a lot of shouting and chaos," Shahi said. He heard someone shout that the king had been shot.

Shahi rushed to attend to the king, and with his coat tried to cover his throat, from where blood was oozing out. The king told Shahi that he had been shot in his stomach too. "I told him not to worry, you will be okay," he said.

During that period, Dipendra had gone out of the room. However, he "returned four or five times", each time firing a burst of bullets, killing more members of the family.

Some time during the chaos, Dipendra had also stepped out into the garden with his mother, Queen Aishwarya, and younger brother Niranjan. "I don't know what exactly happened there," Shahi said.

Another royal family member told rediff.com that it was in the garden that Dipendra fired a volley of bullets at the queen. In his attempt to protect the queen, Niranjan took most of the bullets on himself and collapsed.

Shahi said that he managed to "escape through a back window" and call the personal guards of the king.

Shahi described the massacre with the help of a map on a drawing board.

He said that each time Dipendra entered the room, he fired a burst of bullets and went out, again to return to fire more volleys. He did not say if there was any argument between Dipendra and any family member before the shooting.

The royal family member who spoke to rediff.com said Dipendra is believed to have visited X-Zone disco, a new joint frequented by Kathmandu's rich and famous, on the evening of the massacre.

Devyani Rana, Dipendra's girl friend was with him at the disco, he said. It is at the disco that Dipendra apparently got drunk, before he returned home alone.

When he returned to the palace, most of the royals had already assembled there. While the king, queen and his sisters were seated around at a corner of the room, the youngsters, including Niranjan, Paras and Shahi, had moved to a small bar in a corner, Shahi said.

According to reliable sources, the palace decided to field Captain Shahi, an army doctor for journalists to dispel 'doubts' about the present king and his son.

Many Nepalis believes that the new king and his son are part of the conspiracy which eliminated the entire royal family.

'What have you done' were the last words of King Birendra
"Kay gardeko?" (What have you done) were the last words of Nepal's King Birendra after his son and Crown Prince Dipendra opened a burst of automatic gunfire on the monarch on the night of June 1, says the latest of issue of Time magazine.

"Dipendra just looked at his father -- he said nothing -- and squeezed the trigger once," the magazine quotes 77-year-old Ravi Shumsher Rana, an uncle of the crown prince, as saying.

Rana, who is said to have been standing next to the King when he was shot, said: "The King stood there for a few seconds after the firing and then slowly sat down on the ground."

He said blood appeared on the king's shoulder and began to spread soon after.

"It was about this time that the King finally spoke," recalled Rana. "Kay gardeko," said the injured king.

The magazine, quoting eyewitness accounts, said the customary Friday night dinner had begun at 1930 hours and a 'drunk' Dipendra was taken back to his quarter from the room where the royal family had gathered at 2028 hours.

Reports from Kathmandu have spoken of Dipendra being upset over rejection of his choice of bride by his parents.

The magazine said Dipendra had turned his gun towards Prince Paras, the new King Gyanendra's son, too but spared him after Paras pleaded: "Nai Dai, Nai Dai." (No brother, no brother).

King Birendra tried to shoot Dipendra
Nepal's late King Birendra had made an abortive last-minute attempt to shoot at his son, then Crown Prince Dipendra as the latter fired indiscriminately on the royals at the Narayanhity Palace on the night of June 1, according to the details of the official probe report released in Kathmandu.

Excerpts of the report released on Saturday in the state-owned Nepalese daily Gorkhapatra also quoted Prince Paras, son of the new King Gyanendra, as having said that the main motive behind the massacre was Dipendra's intention to marry his girlfriend Devyani.

After getting injured in the first attack by Dipendra, the late King Birendra picked up the 9mm caliber MP-5K automatic sub-machine gun, which the former had thrown before entering the billiards room in the palace for the second time and firing at the monarch and others, the late king's sister Princess Shova Shahi is quoted as having told the high-level probe panel, whose report was made public on Thursday.

However, Shahi snatched the weapon from her brother and pulled out the magazine thinking that it was the only weapon Dipendra had.

The two-member committee, headed by Chief Justice Keshab Prasad Upadhyaya, had blamed Dipendra for the palace massacre, which had sparked off widespread protests in the Himalayan kingdom.

Corrborating Shova Shahi's version, Prince Paras is quoted as having said, "She (Shova) must have thought that it was the only weapon Dai (Dipendra) had but I saw that he had much more weapons."

According to the Nepali version of the full report, Dipendra had differences with his parents over his plan to marry Devyani Rana, his girlfriend for the last seven to eight years.

Pointing out to the "close relationship" between Dipendra and Devyani, the report quotes Raju Kumar Karki, aide of camp to the late Crown Prince as saying, "Devyani is Sarkar's (Dipendra's) girl friend. The relationship has been continuing since the last seven to nine years."

Karki, who has been in the service of the royal palace for the last eleven years, also claimed that Dipendra used to bring her to the palace. "The first time was probably two years ago," he said.

Even Supriya Shah, who is said to be sharing a 'friendly relationship' with Dipendra, told the committee that "he wished to marry that Devyani."

Shah, said to be a schooltime friend of the late Prince, said, "We used to talk over the phone time to time. We used to meet previously but not in recent days."

Claming that she had a talk with Dipendra even on the fateful day, Shah told the panel, "I had talked with him over the phone around 11:09 am, but we did not talk anything special. We talked normally and he said that he would call me that night. But he did not call."

Meanwhile, in the first ever open criticism of late Crown Prince Dipendra, The Kathmandu Post in a hard-hitting editorial on the probe panel's report said, "Not so upbeat is the image of the then Crown Prince that emerges from the committee's findings.

The image is one of a dual persona, one cultivated by the palace for public consumption and another that was less savoury.

king birendra who?

Mr. B.

we got nothing from your copy and pest artcile which had wrote by somebody else long time ago,