Royal massacre anniversary goes unnoticed in Nepal
As Nepal remained in grip of euphoria over transition to a republic,the seventh anniversary of the ghastly royal massacre that wiped out King Birendra's family went unnoticed today with his successor Gyanendra busy packing bags after being ordered...
By PTI |
KATHMANDU: As Nepal remained in grip of euphoria over transition to a republic,the seventh anniversary of the ghastly royal massacre that wiped out King Birendra's family went unnoticed today with his successor Gyanendra busy packing bags after being ordered to vacate the palace.
No public memorials were held for King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and other royal family members who were gunned down at a Friday dinner party on June 1, 2001 allegedly by crown prince Dipendra.
However, flowers were offered by some loyalists at the statue of Birendra at Jawalakhel in Lalitpur district in Kathmandu.
A controversial probe commission report had claimed that an inebriated Dipendra had killed his entire family before committing suicide but it could not silence the several conspiracy theories that are going around till date.
The unfortunate killings, however, catapulted Gyanendra to the throne and hastened the end of the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy which was abolished on May 28 by a Constituent Assembly.
"Nepalese people still remember the slain King seven years after his death," said Kunti Shahi, constituent assembly member from pro-King Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal.
"We missed him a lot in this situation," she said. "But we are not in a position to observe the occasion in a grand manner."
Interestingly, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala who tabled the motion to formally abolish monarchy was in office at the time of the royal palace massacre.
No public memorials were held for King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and other royal family members who were gunned down at a Friday dinner party on June 1, 2001 allegedly by crown prince Dipendra.
However, flowers were offered by some loyalists at the statue of Birendra at Jawalakhel in Lalitpur district in Kathmandu.
A controversial probe commission report had claimed that an inebriated Dipendra had killed his entire family before committing suicide but it could not silence the several conspiracy theories that are going around till date.
The unfortunate killings, however, catapulted Gyanendra to the throne and hastened the end of the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy which was abolished on May 28 by a Constituent Assembly.
"Nepalese people still remember the slain King seven years after his death," said Kunti Shahi, constituent assembly member from pro-King Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal.
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"We missed him a lot in this situation," she said. "But we are not in a position to observe the occasion in a grand manner."
Interestingly, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala who tabled the motion to formally abolish monarchy was in office at the time of the royal palace massacre.
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