KATMANDU, Nepal — Nepal’s acting king today blamed “accidental” machine-gun fire for killing most of the royal family, an explanation that provoked angry disbelief in the Himalayan nation.
Hundreds of people burned tires in the center of Katmandu, the capital, demanding to know the truth behind the Friday night killings. Many city residents shaved their heads — a Hindu sign of respect that typically follows a father’s death.
Senior government and palace officials today privately disputed the acting king’s version of events, reiterating that Crown Prince Dipendra gunned down his parents — the king and queen — and six other relatives during a family dinner before turning his weapon on himself.
The prince, who remains in critical condition, was reportedly angry that he had been denied his bride of choice.
Publicly, however, officials began backing away from that explanation over the weekend — possibly because Dipendra, even though he was reportedly placed on life support systems, is now technically king and monarchs are above reproach in this Himalayan kingdom.
Dipendra’s uncle, Prince Gyanendra, was named acting king due to his nephew’s health.
Eight people died in the attack Friday night and three people besides Dipendra were injured. Details have remained sketchy, provided by military sources within the royal palace and officials familiar with the workings of the royal family.
Victims of the shooting included King Birendra, 55, Queen Aiswarya, 51, his brother and sister, Prince Nirajan, 22, and Princess Shruti, 24.
The royal family had gathered for dinner to discuss the wedding of Dipendra. Sources close to the family said that the prince wished to marry the daughter of a former government minister who is a member of the aristocratic Rana family, which ruled Nepal until 1951.
Gyanendra issued a statement Sunday blaming “accidental firing of an automatic weapon” for the deaths of King Birendra, the queen and six other royals.
The late king’s younger brother did not say who did the shooting, but many people mourning the loss of their king — viewed by many as an incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu — found Gyanendra’s explanation preposterous.
“How can a gun go off and shoot a dozen people in all different directions?” asked Dhan Gurung, a rickshaw driver. “This is ridiculous.”
“I’ve been in the army, and I know,” agreed Bal Bahadur Tamang, a retiree out shopping. “There is no such thing as a freak accident like this. Accidents can claim one life, but not spray bullets over eight people.”
Many Nepalese said they cannot accept Dipendra as king because they believe he killed his revered, soft-spoken father — but now that Dipendra is king, it would be difficult for Nepalese officials to publicly accuse him of anything.
Monarchs here have little formal power, but public criticism is taboo. The constitution says: “No question shall be raised in any court about any act performed by his majesty,” and even the Parliament is prohibited from discussing the affairs of the royal family.
On Sunday, an old photograph of Dipendra in royal attire ran on page one of the government newspaper, The Rising Nepal. The newspaper mentioned no gunfire and said the previous king had died in “an unanticipated incident.”
Government officials could not be reached for comment Sunday — a five-day period of mourning had been declared, and any statements were to be issued through the official news agency.
Prime Minister Girija Prasada Koirala said late Saturday that the government would investigate the killings, but he may have been seeking to preserve calm, since only the king can order investigations into matters involving the royal family.
Koirala visited the new King Dipendra and three injured royal family members in the military hospital Sunday and described the king’s condition as “extremely critical.”
During a royal funeral procession at sunset Saturday, hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets. They wailed, clasped their hands in respect and offered flowers as the bodies were taken for cremation according to Hindu rites.
Some suspected the government in the palace massacre. Officials have said there was no involvement by Maoist rebels who have sought to overthrow the monarchy.
Birendra was remembered Sunday as a monarch who used his influence to improve things for this highly impoverished, predominantly Hindu nation which only opened to the outside world a half-century ago.
“We have, in short, lost a visionary monarch who ably guided his nation through thick and thin,” The Katmandu Post said in a front-page editorial. “It will no doubt be difficult to replace such a leader who had won the people’s heart and symbolized Nepal’s move toward a modern era.”
