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His Majesty King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal (June 27, 1971 - June 4, 2001) was the reigning monarch of Nepal from June 1 to June 4, 2001. He was educated at England's exclusive Eton College. The intelligent and well-liked prince was thought to have a good future ahead of him, but he killed many members of his family at a royal dinner on June 1, 2001, before being shot himself, either by his own hand or at the hands of the palace guard.
His motivation was reportedly anger over a dispute about his marriage plans. Dipendra's choice for marriage was Devyani Rana, a member of the royal family of Gwalior. Unfortunately, Devyani also was a member of the Rana clan, whose scions had served as the hereditary prime ministers of Nepal during the previous dynasty, with the title Maharaja. There was historical animosity between the Rana clan and the Shah family of kings but there was also a long history of inter-marriage between the two Kshatriya caste groups.
According to official accounts, Dipendra was denied his choice of marriage by his mother, and so he massacred his family in a much-publicised incident. Among the dead were his father (His Majesty King Birendra), mother, brother, and his sister. After the event, he survived for three days. Although in a comatose state, he was proclaimed king in his hospital bed. He died of his injuries on June 4, 2001 and was succeeded by his uncle, HRH Prince Gyanendra.
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 somehow escaped injury. Paras is unpopular in Nepal because of a prior history of debauchery including at least one incident of vehicular homicide for which he was never prosecuted.
Widespread conspiracy theories circulating in Nepal continue to suggest that the official account of the massacre may differ from the actual events.
The victims of the massacre
Died - HM King Birendra, father
- HM Queen Aishwarya, 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
- Ketaki Singh, King Birendra's cousin
Note: Dipendra himself died 3 days later. Kumar Khadga's mother Bodh Kumari Shah was an indirect casualty. She died of shock on hearing the news of her son's death.
See also
External links
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