Narayanhiti Durbar massacre: 22 years passed
The massacre was described as a 'grand design' by then-prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
KATHMANDU: It has been 22 years since the Narayanhiti Palace massacre, which killed the then-King Birendra’s family.
On the evening of Jestha 19, 2058 (1 June , 2001), the then-King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah, along with his family Queen Aishwarya, Prince Dipendra and Neerajan, and Princess Shruti Shah, died inside the Narayanhiti Palace.
Prince Dhirendra, Princess Jayanti, Princess Shanti, Princess Sharada, Kumar Khadga, and other members of the royal family were also slaughtered in the massacre.
The massacre was described as a ‘grand design’ by then-prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala. So yet, however, it has not been revealed what the ‘grand design’ was, who committed the murder, and why.
The Palace Murder Investigation Commission, chaired by then-Speaker Taranath Ranabhat, issued a report alleging that Crown Prince Dipendra had murdered the royal family. However, it appears that the general population is still skeptical of the study.
The monarchy in Nepal could not continue long after the destruction of the Birendra dynasty, which created the image of a kind king.
Following the death of King Birendra, his younger brother Gyanendra Shah came to the throne. He is the final king in Nepal’s history.
The monarchy was declared to be over seven years after the slaughter, on Jestha 15, 2065 (28 May, 2008).
