The “Palace Massacre” most famously refers to the Nepalese Royal Massacre, which occurred on Jestha 19, 2058 (June 1, 2001), at the Narayanhiti Palace in Kathmandu.
That horrific night still haunts every Nepali. Even though the monarchy has been abolished and a republic has been established in the country, the unpleasant memory of Jestha 19 (01 June), when the then royal family was destroyed, has not been erased from the minds of Nepalese.
In the incident that took place during a family gathering, King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, Crown Prince Dipendra, Prince Nirajan, Princess Shruti, Prince Dhirendra, Princess Jayanti, Princess Shanti, Princess Sharada, Kumar Khadka, and other members of the royal family were killed.
After the destruction of Birendra’s dynasty, who had created the image of a liberal king, the monarchy did not last long in Nepal. After King Birendra, his younger brother Gyanendra Shah ascended the throne. When Nepal’s political parties tried to seize direct power and become a dictatorship, they launched the Second People’s Movement in 2062/2063 and declared Nepal a republic. Seven years after the Narayanhiti Palace Massacre, in 2065, the country declared the end of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic. Gyanendra Shah became the last king in the history of Nepal.
After the palace massacre, a high-level investigation committee formed under the coordination of the then Chief Justice had made public a report showing Crown Prince Dipendra guilty of the incident of 19 Jestha. The then Speaker of the House, Taranath Ranabhat, had made the investigation report public.
No independent investigation has been conducted since then into this incident. Bimalendra Nidhi, who held the responsibility of the Home Ministry in the second cabinet led by the then Maoist Chairman Prachanda, had raised the issue of an investigation into the palace massacre. Nidhi raised the issue of an investigation in retaliation for Gyanendra’s continued political statements even after his overthrow, but the matter has not progressed.
Despite many suspicions and speculations, the Narayanhiti Palace Massacre is still a mystery.
