BBC Monday, 4 June, 2001, 10:35 GMT 11:35 UK

Clashes erupt in grief-stricken Nepal

Police moved in to disperse protesters in Kathmandu

Clashes have broken out in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, within hours of the crowning of the new king, Gyanendra.

King Gyanendra became Nepal's third monarch in four days after his brother King Birendra and most of the royal family were killed in a palace massacre on Friday.

The authorities have declared a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Kathmandu to try to quell the unrest.

Reports say that police used tear gas and batons to control angry crowds near the royal palace.

Warning shots were fired over the heads of protesters and there were a number of injuries. One report says a man was killed.

The BBC's Daniel Lak says that some of the crowds out in the streets are denouncing the new king, while others are supporting him.

In his first address as monarch, King Gyanendra promised to investigate the circumstances of the killings, which left eight members of the royal family dead.

The new king acknowledged that the full facts of the shootings had not been disclosed, saying: "There were constitutional and legal difficulties in expressing what had actually transpired."

Early on Monday, the slain king's son, Dipendra - who had been declared king on Saturday - died of injuries sustained during the attack.

No explanation

Blame for the murders was initially placed on Dipendra, who was said to have shot his father, mother and other family members following a dispute over his choice of bride.

This account was later denied, with an official statement speaking only of the sudden discharge of the weapon inside the royal palace.

Our correspondent says the absence of any firm official information has led many people in Nepal to believe that the royal family fell victim to a conspiracy.

On Sunday, officials denied persistent reports that it was Dipendra who opened fire, describing the incident as an accident.

Conflicting theories

An official statement said King Birendra and the others died when an automatic weapon was suddenly discharged inside the royal palace in Kathmandu.

There was no reference to who was holding the weapon when it went off.

Many of those protesting in the streets of the capital on Monday believe neither that the killings were an accident, not that Dipendra did the shooting.

They are reported to be demanding the truth about the palace killings.

Some shouted slogans against the new king and his son, Paras Shah, suggesting that they may have been involved in the massacre.

Other conspiracy theories involve India and, according to Nepal's militant Maoist groups, unnamed international forces.

In response to the crisis, the ruling Nepali Congress party's central committee has called an emergency meeting, due to take place on Monday.

March on palace

Armed riot police used tear gas and batons to hold back the crowds which repeatedly tried to approach the palace where King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and six others died on Friday.

Youths on motorbikes carried pictures of the late king and queen. Many protesters brandished sticks.

Thousands of people marched on the royal palace chanting "Dipendra is Innocent" and "Punish the real murderers". Other shouted: "We don't want Gyanendra".

Earlier, thousands lined the path of a royal procession as King Gyanendra rode in a horse-drawn carriage from the old palace where he was enthroned to the new palace that will be his official residence.

Correspondents say there was little applause and few people clasped their hands together in the traditional Hindu greeting of respect as their new monarch passed.

BBC News Online has received many e-mails expressing grief and disbelief.

"I just do not believe whoever blamed our Prince Dipendra for killing his parents and other royal members. He can do anything but not this," said one from Nepal.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

Answers

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/155/world/Nepal_gets_new_king_as_prote st:.shtml

Nepal gets new king as protesters demand explanation of massacre

By Neelesh Misra, Associated Press, 6/4/2001 07:48

KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) Prince Gyanendra inherited Nepal's throne from his dead relatives Monday, becoming king as police fired tear gas at rioting youth who demanded an explanation of a shooting that killed nine royals.

Police called for a 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew to clear the streets, and state-run radio issued a warning that police were told to fire at violators who ignored orders.

''Do not go out of your houses or you can be shot,'' the radio bulletin said. Armed riot patrols surrounded the palace, and army troops began moving into other parts of Katmandu, the capital.

The curfew call came after police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators who threw rocks. Eyewitnesses said police beat demonstrators with batons and some soldiers fired warning shots into the air. Some protesters were injured by tear-gas shells.

Many mourners refused to believe that Crown Prince Dipendra technically king for a weekend had killed his family and then himself, as officials privately say.

Some blamed Gyanendra for the deaths, and many Nepalese were incredulous at the new king's assertion that the bloodbath was a freak accident.

Thousands of mostly young men marched, chanting ''Dipendra is innocent,'' and ''Punish the real murderers.'' Others yelled: ''We don't want Gyanendra.''

Earlier, thousands lined the path of a somber royal procession as King Gyanendra rode in a horse-drawn carriage from one palace, where he was enthroned, to another that will be his official residence the scene of the killings that left this impoverished Himalayan nation stunned and searching for answers.

There was hardly any applause, and few people along the route clasped their hands together in the traditional Hindu greeting of respect when their new monarch passed. As Gyanendra arrived at the residential palace, a lone supporter shouted, ''Long live the king,'' but he got no response from the crowd.

Appearing at a palace enthronement ceremony, his head shaven in a traditional show of respect for the dead, Gyanendra sat on his throne, wearing a crown topped with a large cream-colored plume.

He issued a statement promising the Nepalese people a full explanation of the palace killings a day after blaming the deaths of King Birendra and eight other royals on ''accidental'' fire from an automatic weapon.

The State Council, which oversees royal affairs, met Monday morning and proclaimed Gyanendra, who had been acting king, as monarch. Gyanendra is the slain King Birendra's younger brother.

The council confirmed that Dipendra, the heir to the throne, died early Monday morning.

Officials initially said Dipendra was on life support after fatally shooting his parents the king and queen and six other royals Friday night before turning the gun on himself.

But on Sunday, Gyanendra, named acting king because Dipendra was incapacitated, asserted that the shootings were accidental and did not name his nephew as the gunman.

The new king offered a partial explanation Monday: Since Dipendra was technically the king over the weekend, he was above reproach under Nepal's Constitution and by tradition.

''The facts could not be made public in yesterday's statement due to legal and constitutional hurdles. I will make the facts of the incident public after an investigation,'' Gyanendra said.

Adding to the turmoil, many demonstrators Monday shouted that they did not believe Dipendra was to blame. Some saw the royal killings as a political or military conspiracy.

A funeral for Dipendra was expected later in the day with much of Nepal, a nation of 22 million, already shut down for a five-day period of mourning for the slain royals. There was no word whether life support was withdrawn before the 29-year-old died.

By 4 p.m., when the funeral procession was to begin, Katmandu's streets were deserted but littered with stones and bricks. Soldiers pointed their guns at people and shouted at them to get home as they scurried through alleyways.

On Sunday, hundreds of people burned tires in the center of Katmandu, demanding to know the truth behind the killings.

''How can a gun go off and shoot a dozen people in all different directions?'' asked Dhan Gurung, a rickshaw driver. ''This is ridiculous.''

Senior government and palace officials privately disputed the acting king's version of events in his statement on Sunday. They reiterated that Dipendra had killed his parents and six other relatives before shooting himself. Three other members of the royal family were wounded.

The shots rang out while the royal family was gathered for dinner Friday night to discuss Dipendra's wedding. Sources close to the family said the prince wanted to marry the daughter of a former government minister who is a member of the aristocratic Rana family, which ruled Nepal until 1951.

His mother, Queen Aiswarya, reportedly rejected the idea and preferred an arranged marriage, which most Nepalese have.

Meanwhile, a newspaper reported Monday that Maoist rebels who want to topple the constitutional monarchy reportedly rejected the idea the royal family was killed by a lovestruck prince, instead pointing to a ''grave political conspiracy''

The Katmandu Post, an independent English-language daily, carried a statement signed by Prachanda, the president of the underground CPN- Maoist party. He called the shootings a ''pre-planned massacre'' that would end Nepal's present political system.

Monarchs here have little formal power in Nepal, but public criticism is taboo. Under the constitution, the king is immune from prosecution, and Parliament is prohibited from discussing the affairs of the royal family.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

The Telegraph described the situation in Nepal as a cross between tragedy and farce. More information has emerged:

Beauty at heart of killings mystery

Devyani and her grandmother, the late queen mother of Gwalior While mystery continues to surround the deaths of Nepal's royal family, one question constantly being asked is whether Crown Prince Dipendra could have killed his parents for the love of a woman.

It has been reported that a furious row between the prince and his mother over his choice of bride - a beautiful, young aristocrat with whom he was smitten - could have provided the catalyst for the bizarre killings.

According to the reports, the doughty Queen Aishwarya objected to the proposed marriage between Prince Dipendra and his girlfriend Devyani Rani.

The Queen

On Friday night, he was allegedly warned by his father that he would be passed over as heir if he disobeyed the queen's wishes.

Indian connections

But Dipendra, refusing to be swayed, reportedly revealed that he had secretly married Miss Devyani in a temple according to Hindu rites.

The grief-stricken Miss Devyani is now said to have fled her family's magnificent mansion in Kathmandu for Delhi, where she has influential Indian connections.

It is unclear what the queen's alleged objections to the marriage were.

A number of theories have emerged, ranging from her family connections to the fact that the union was apparently not written in the stars.

Dipendra

Astrologers had foretold that the couple's horoscopes were not 'cosmically synchronised' and warned of a great tragedy if the wedding went ahead.

Well-educated

Miss Devyani, who is said to be in her 20s, belongs to one of Nepal's most aristocratic families.

The couple's relationship had not been a secret, with the pair often seen dining out in a local pizza restaurant near the royal palace.

Some newspaper reports say they had also been seen together in Australia and London.

Miss Devyani was educated in one of India's leading private schools, Welham School in Dehradun, a hill resort in the north of the country. It is quite common for well-off Nepalese families to send their girls to the school.

Her father, Pashupati Rani, is a high-profile member of the Nepalese parliament and a former foreign minister.

He is descended from the Rana clan, traditionally the rulers of Nepal and thus a distant relative of the queen.

Royal dynasty

In the early 1950s, the king's family, the Shahs, became sovereign.

Marriage between the two families was often seen as a way to maintain political stability in the tiny mountainous kingdom.

But the queen was said to be adamantly against the latest proposed union because of Miss Devyani's Indian connections.

Her mother is related to one of India's most famous royal dynasties, the former maharajas of Gwalior.

And her uncle is Madhav Rao Scindia, a senior figure in India's main opposition Congress party, and her aunt, Vasundra Raje Scindia, is a junior minister in Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's cabinet, according to the Indian Express.

Relations between the two countries are sensitive and Queen Aishwarya is said to have insisted that Miss Devyani's Indian links could have proved unpopular.

This was echoed by the Express, which said such connections made her a less than suitable candidate.

"In Nepal, anti-India sentiment has often set the kingdom on fire and the last thing the royal family needed was a future queen with Indian blood in her veins," the newspaper wrote.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

Lucianne:

It's good to be the king but oh, the clothes

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2001