The Royal Massacre — Nepal's Darkest Night

On the evening of June 1, 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal entered a family dinner gathering at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace in Kathmandu and opened fire with automatic weapons, killing his father King Birendra, mother Queen Aishwarya, brother Prince Nirajan, sister Princess Shruti, and five other relatives before shooting himself. He survived in a coma for two days — technically becoming king while unconscious — before dying on June 4. The official investigation concluded Dipendra acted after a dispute over his choice of bride, which his parents opposed. Many Nepalis refused to believe the official account, suspecting a conspiracy involving Dipendra's uncle Gyanendra, who became king after the massacre. The event destroyed the moral authority of the Shah dynasty. Gyanendra's subsequent attempt to seize absolute power in 2005 triggered a second people's movement that, combined with the Maoist insurgency, led to the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. Nepal became a federal democratic republic.