KATHMANDU — Immediately after assuming charge of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Home Minister Sudhan Gurung has initiated the process to move forward with the investigation into the Narayanhiti Palace massacre, which is considered the most famous and mysterious incident in Nepal's history.
Reopening the file and advancing the investigation into the gruesome massacre that took place on June 1, 2001 (Jeth 19, 2058 BS) was prioritized among his initial four major decisions made while assuming office at the ministry on Tuesday evening. In the incident that occurred 24 years ago, the then King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya, and other members of the royal family were collectively assassinated.
Possibility of Former King Gyanendra Getting a Clean Chits and Political Waves
Since the palace massacre, various commentaries and rumors have circulated within Nepal's political circles and public mindsets. In particular, suspicions and allegations from different angles were leveled against former King Gyanendra Shah, who was outside Kathmandu at the time of the incident and later became king.
Now, if the government itself officially advances an impartial and serious investigation into this matter, there is a strong possibility that former King Gyanendra will legally get a clean chit (exoneration) from those allegations that have been made for years.
According to political analysts, if the illusions and allegations leveled against the former royal family are resolved through an impartial investigation, it is estimated that this could further increase public sympathy and attraction toward the 'monarchy' and the former royal family in the country. Amidst growing public dissatisfaction with the current political parties and the governance system, this decision has created a new debate.
Historical Claim of Dr. Upendra Devkota
Earlier, the then senior physician Dr. Upendra Devkota, who was a member of the high-level committee formed to investigate the palace massacre, had claimed that the massacre was carried out by the then Crown Prince Dipendra Shah himself. Dr. Devkota, who closely observed Dipendra's health condition at the military hospital during treatment and the technical aspects of the incident, had clarified in his various interviews that Crown Prince Dipendra was the main factor behind the incident and that there was no hand of other external forces or former King Gyanendra.
With the current Home Minister reviving this sensitive issue that has been in the shadows for a long time, the direction in which the future investigation will proceed and the kind of changes it will bring to Nepalese politics has become the center of public interest everywhere.
