King Birendra’s 13th day goes off without pujas

June 13, 2001
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Kathmandu, June 13: The 13th day of Hindu purification rituals following the assassinations of King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya were not held Wednesday as usual but will be conducted Saturday instead, officials said. Saturday marks the 13th day of the suicide of Crown Prince Dipendra.

Altogether 13 royal family members and relatives died in a shoot-out or were injured at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace on June 1 in one of the worst such tragedies in world history. Three eyewitnesses and relatives said Dipendra, who was later declared King, started the shoot-out and then turned the gun on himself; Dipendra never recovered from a coma and died three days later without being crowned.

A two man commission headed by Chief Justice Kesvab Prasad Upadhaya and Speaker of the House of Representatives Taranath Bhatt is preparing a report of the tragedy after interviewing key witnesses including surviving members of the royal members, doctors treating them and
others.

The commission has until Thursday to complete its investigations. The commission members have interviewed Supriya Shah and is trying to interview Devyani Rana, the other girlfriend of Dipendra, sources and published reports said; Devyani, the daughter of a prominent opposition politician, is not in the country. The interviews may help establish the motive for the shooting by a bachelor Prince. Prince Gyanendra, uncle of Dipendra, succeeded the throne for the second time in nearly 50 years. Government offices re-opened Tuesday after an 11 day closure bringing back some form of normalcy to the nation still traumatized by the events that unfolded at the royal palace on the first day on June.

Nepal’s new King Gyanendra has a wide experience in Nepali affairs after working closely with his eldest brother, King Birendra, in administering the state during the panchayat era prior to 1990 and in grooming Dipendra during his childhood.