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Nepali People in Deep Mourning Over King's Death
The Nepali people are in deep mourning Saturday, June 2, over King Birendra's untimely death.
All governmental offices and shops are closed and crowds of saddened people are gathering around the royal palace in the heart of the capital city and in the main streets to get more news about the shooting incident that happened Friday night in the palace.
The 55-years-old king and 51-years-old queen were reported to be shot dead by Crown Prince Dipendra along with around a dozen other members of the royal family at the Narayan Hity Royal Palace in Kathmandu. Dipendra also shot himself dead.
Other members of the royal family reportedly shot dead were Prince Nirajan, Princess Shruti, the king's sisters Princess Shrada and Princess Shanti, the king's brother-in-law Kuma Khadga and other royal family members.
The shooting reportedly happened at 10:40 p.m. local time when the royal family were gathering for a dinner and to discuss the wedding of Dipendra.
It was reported that Dipendra, 30, shot the family dead due to disputes over his marriage. Unconfirmed reports said Dipendra wished to marry the daughter of a former government minister, a member of the aristocratic Rana family, which ruled Nepal from 1846 to 1951.
Queen Aishwarya was reportedly opposed to Dipendra's choice of bride. Dipendra died in hospital early on Saturday after being operated on for a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"I was deeply grieved over the news of the king's death. We respect and love the king very much," an old man in the crowd before the royal palace told Xinhua. "The king is like our father. Now he is dead, we feel like orphans," he added.
The state radio and television stopped broadcasting their normal morning news bulletins to broadcast religious songs and programs to mourn over the king's death.
King Birendra came to the throne on January 31, 1972 and had ruled as an absolute monarch until 1990 when his role became purely constitutional in the wake of a popular people's movement.
Though King Birendra ceded absolute power, he was popular among the Nepali people. He was not known to directly interfere in politics, but had great influence and prime ministers tended to count on him for support.
The royal family as a whole is also revered in Nepal, where 90 percent of the 23 million population are Hindu. Some believe that the king is the reincarnation of the Hindu God, Vishnu.
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