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Dipendra killed the royals: Report

The official probe into Nepal's palace massacre Thursday held an intoxicated Crown Prince Dipendra "solely" responsible for the killing of King Birendra, Queen Aishwariya and seven other royals and said he spoke to his girlfriend Devyani Rana thrice on a mobile phone shortly before the shooting spree.

The two-member probe panel set up by King Gyanendra, in its report made public, said a "drunk" Dipendra in army fatigues fired indiscriminately at the royal family members who were relaxing in the billiard room of the Narayanhiti Palace after dinner on June 1, echoing eyewitness and other accounts which most Nepalese refuse to buy.

The panel, headed by Chief Justice Keshab Prasad Upadhyaya, did not say whether Dipendra, who later died in hospital, had shot himself as claimed by an eyewitness and some royal relatives.

The report, released by Parliament Speaker Taranath Ranabhat, a member of the panel, at a televised press conference, said Dipendra shot his father King Birendra first, then his mother followed by the other royals.

Coming in the backdrop of heightened security across Nepal rocked by widespread violence in the wake of the massacre, the report said Dipendra had "consumed alchohol and smoked cigarettes laced with opium before he walked into the billiard room and gunned the royals."

Before carrying out the killings, Dipendra had made three calls to Devyani, whom he wanted to marry, but his mother was said to be opposed to it.

In his last call to Devyani, Dipendra told her "I am now about to sleep. Good night. We will talk tomorrow."

The weapons used by Dipendra including a nine mm sub-machine gun, a 12 bore French gun, 5.56 calibre rifle were displayed at the press conference attended by nearly 300 local and foreign journalists.

The report did not give any indication of the motive for the killings.

The 200-page report said Devyani in her telephonic tape-recorded interview to Nepal's envoy to India B B Thapa spoke of "a close relationship with Dipendra." The taped conservation was used as evidence by the panel.

Her parents told the committee that there was contact between Dipendra and Devyani.

However, Devyani, in her twenties, refused to disclose the details of her conversation with Dipendra saying that "they were matters concerning her personal affair and she did not want to say anything about them," it said.

The report said during the visit of the site, the team found brain tissues, a few teeth and jaws, a red 'tika', two ear pins, broken pieces of red glass bangles and blood stains at the place where the Queen was shot.

It said that no cartridge cases were found at the massacre site other than those used by Dipendra.

Giving details of the report, Ranabhat said that the Crown Prince came for the traditional Friday night dinner at 1930 hours after drinking his "favourite Grouse whiskey". He then asked an aide for cigarettes laced with opium and an unidentified black substance.

He was intoxicated, swaying from side to side and was taken to his quarters in the palace in a drunken state by his bodyguard, his brother Nirajan, Prince Paras and another relative, he said.

Dipendra then made a call on his mobile phone to Devyani in Kathmandu. She, in turn within minutes, telephoned some aides of Dipendra telling them that the Crown Prince's speech sounded slurred and asked "Is he somewhat unwell ?"

The aides then went looking for the Crown Prince and found him sprawled on the ground and trying to take his clothes off. They helped him to the bathroom, it said.

After coming out of the bathroom, he ordered the aides to retire, the report quoted an orderly as saying.

He later came down in army fatigues to the billiards room and began his killing spree starting with his father King Birendra, who was standing near the east end of the room talking to others.

The report said that all this while, Dipendra moved in and out of billiards room, firing indiscriminately killing the Queen, his sister Princess Shruti, brother Nirajan, his uncle Dhirendra, the King's cousin Prince Jayanti, the King's sisters Princess Sharada and Princess Shanti and the King's brother-in-law Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah.

The report was made public soon after it was submitted to King Gyanendra who had ordered the probe on June 4 in the wake of large-scale violence by protesters demanding an impartial probe into the palace massacre.

During the investigation, the panel relied on statement of over 100 people including eyewitnesses, royal palace staff, firearms and forensic experts and doctors.

The report also coincided with the final rituals of Dipendra who died in hospital two days after the massacre.

Detailing the shooting, the report said the Crown Prince entered the billiard room with a 9 mm caliber automatic sub-machine gun and then fired "rat-tat-tat" at the King.

"All this while, the Crown Prince moved back and came out of the billiards room, threw the 12 bore French gun near the stairs to the north of the inner garden edge east of the billiards room and then entered the room again aiming the 5.56 caliber rifle and fired again at King Birendra, the report said.

It has been learnt from experts that the sub-machine gun can fire upto 900 bullets per minute and the rifle can send out 700 to 1,000 bullets every minute, it said.

The report said the ADCs heard the sound of firing and called the doctors and entered the billiards hall by breaking the glass of the door to start rescue work.

One ADC entered the hall and carried King Birendra, who was unconscious, to the car and drove to the military hospital where other victims were also rushed by ADCs and security personnel.

A royal ADC and a major found Dipendra lying on his back south of the small bridge over a little pond at the garden in front of Tribhuvan Sadan where the bedroom of the Crown Prince was located, according to the report.

During the visit to the site, a 9 mm caliber Glock pistol, which Dipendra was said to be in possession, and empty cartridges were found in the pond as also a 5.56 caliber M-16 A2 rifle on a lawn nearby.

PTI

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