Bizarre Massacre: Crown Prince Wipes Out Nepal's Royal Family with Semi-Automatic

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Friday June 1 8:24 PM ET 

Nepal Royal Family Is Shot Dead

By BINAJ GURUACHARYA, Associated Press Writer 

KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Nepal's crown prince opened fire in the royal palace
of this tiny Himalayan nation on Friday, killing the king, queen, his
brother and sister before turning the gun on himself, a senior military
official said. Four others died in the shooting, which apparently stemmed
from a dispute over his choice of a bride.

The official said Crown Prince Dipendra, 30, killed his parents, King
Birendra and Queen Aiswarya, his younger brother, Prince Nirajan, and his
sister, Princess Shruti. The princess is married and has two daughters.

According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the shooting
was prompted by a dispute over the crown prince's marriage because
his mother, the queen, reportedly objected to his choice of a bride. No
other details were immediately available.

The crown prince, educated at Britain's Eton College, was heir to the
throne.

A helicopter was sent to Chitwan, 75 miles southwest of Katmandu, to pick up
Prince Gyanendra, the King's younger brother, according to sources
at the airport.

Prince Gyanendra, who is next in line to the throne, was expected to succeed
King Birendra. The government was expected to make a formal
announcement only after the king's brother replaces him.

Katmandu, the capital of 1.5 million, woke up Saturday to news of the
shootings. Hundreds of people began walking toward the royal palace in the
heart of the city. Police cordoned off the outer periphery of the building.

King Birendra held nearly absolute power until 1990, when seven weeks of
demonstrations and riots forced him to give into demands from
democracy activists. A parliamentary government was established and the king
has since remained a figurehead much like the queen of England,
appearing in ceremonies and addressing the Parliament once a year.

The turning point in the resistance of the Harvard-education king came on
April 6, 1990, when police fired at 200,000 demonstrators marching
toward the royal palace. Officials said at least 72 people died, but
witnesses put the death toll at more than 300.

Birendra was crowned king in 1972 to replace his late father, King
Mahrendra. He was the latest monarch in the Shah dynasty, which has held the
throne since the mid-1700s. Many Nepalis, especially illiterate farmers who
comprise the bulk of this country's 22 million people, viewed the king as
the reincarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. Some 90 percent of Nepal's
population is Hindu.

Hundreds of people lined the streets of Katmandu last Dec. 29 to greet King
Birendra on his 55th birthday. Schools and government offices were
closed as well.

In New York, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's office issued a
statement saying Annan was "profoundly shocked" by the killings.
Annan "extends his heartfelt condolences to the people of Nepal and calls
for calm and stability in this difficult period," the statement said.

Nepal is located in South Asia along the slopes of the Himalayan mountains
and is home to eight of the world's 14 peaks above 26,400 feet, the
tallest being Mount Everest.

It is bordered on the north by China and on the east, south and west by
India. It is the size and shape of the state of Tennessee. 


Earlier Coverage:


Friday June 1 7:42 PM ET 

Paper: Nepali Crown Prince Kills King, Shoots Self

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's Crown Prince Dipendra was reported to have
killed the king, queen and five senior members of the royal family on
Friday night before fatally shooting himself, the Nepali Times newspaper
said on Saturday.

The newspaper quoted sources close to the royal family as saying the crown
prince died in hospital early on Saturday after being operated on for a
self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Interior Minister Ram Chandra Poudel declined to confirm the report but told
Reuters: "This is a national disaster." The newspaper said the dead
included King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, the king's daughter Princess Sruti,
his youngest son Prince Narajan, the king's sisters Princess Shrada
and Princess Shanti and his brother-in-law Kuma Khadga.

The Nepali Times said another member of the royal family, Prince Dhirendra,
was critically injured.

King Birendra, born on December 6, 1945, came to the throne of the Himalyan
kingdom in 1972.

The Nepali Times said the Crown Prince "reportedly shot his family with a
semi-automatic." 

 
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