Nepal's 48-hour king dies after royal massacre

Dipendra Bir Bikram was present at the massacre of his family on Friday, was made Nepal's king on Saturday, and died on Monday

By staff and wire reports

KATMANDU, Nepal -- Nepal's newly proclaimed King Dipendra Bir Bikram, who allegedly gunned down most of the royal family on Friday, has died.

The former Crown Prince Dipendra was admitted to hospital late on Friday with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound after reportedly slaughtering most of his family with an assault rifle as they sat around a dinner table.

Initial reports suggested Dipendra shot his family after a dispute over his choice of bride.

Despite his worsening state the Crown Prince was anointed king following the murder of his father, late King Birendra.

AUDIO CNN's Kasra Naji tells Jonathan Aiken that few had expected Nepal's King Dipendra Bir Bikram to survive an apparantly self-inflicted gunshot wound. 628 KB/58 seconds. AIFF or WAV sound    VIDEO Thousands of mourners bid farewell to the Royal Family of Nepal who were murdered friday. CNN's Kasra Naji reports (June 2) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     COUNTRY PROFILE At a glance: Nepal Provided by CountryWatch.com     ALSO Kasra Naji: Clan rivalry may have sparked royal killings Kasra Naji: Clan rivalry may have sparked royal killings Nepal: Pope leads world shock Report paints picture of prince's drunken rampage Nepal's royal family; revered and reserved

Dipendra was pronounced dead at the military hospital where he has lain in a coma since late Friday, CNN's Kasra Naji reported from Katmandu.

'Accidental firing'

Because of Dipendra's condition, the dead King's brother, Prince Gyanendra, had been named caretaker king.

He is now expected to be installed as Nepal's new king, according to CNN's Naji.

Meanwhile, new accounts of what caused the slaughter of most of the tiny nation's royal family are being released

On Nepal's first full day of national mourning, Prince Gyanendra altered the official story behind the tragedy.

"According to the information received by us [they] were seriously injured in an accidental firing from an automatic weapon," Prince Regent Gyanendra is quoted as saying in a statement broadcast on state radio Sunday.

With much of the country still reeling from shock, Nepal's government has remained tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding the Friday night massacre in which King Birendra, Queen Ashwarya and other members of the royal family died.

The prince regent's statement did not make clear who was holding the gun at the time of the accident, but earlier statements from the Nepalese interior minister had said Crown Prince Dipendra shot his family after a bitter quarrel.

Fit of rage

Military sources at the palace told The Associated Press the prince had turned against his family because his mother did not approve of a young woman, Devyani Rana, as his choice of bride.

Rana has reportedly fled Katmandu, fearing for her safety

The Hindustan Times said a shocked Devyani Rana, fearing for her safety, left Katmandu late on Saturday on a flight to New Delhi. Other reports on Sunday said Rana remained in Nepal but had left Katmandu.

The dead include King Birendra, 55, Queen Aishwarya, 51, Dipendra's sister Princess Shruti, 24, his brother Prince Nirajan, 22, and six others.

The Horizon newspaper said yesterday 40 bullets had been taken from the bodies of both Prince Nirajan and King Birendra.

Rana's connections

Rana is the daughter of Usha Raje Scindia, a member of a royal family from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Her father Pashupati Rana is a former Nepal foreign and finance minister, and a member of the once-powerful Rana clan that established a line of hereditary prime ministers in Nepal.

King Birendra, left, was revered by some Nepalese as a living god

Traditionally, members of Nepal's royal Shah dynasty, including King Birendra and his two brothers, choose a spouse from the Rana line to ensure political peace in Nepal.

But a report in the Indian Express Sunday said Rana's Indian connections counted against her.

Family feud

The report, citing Nepali palace sources, said Queen Aishwarya was determined her son should marry a girl from the Gorakh Rana family into which Princess Shruti had married.

Other theories circulating include one that Dipendra killed his family over a disagreement on the future of the role of the royal family.

In 1990, King Birendra agreed to take a constitutional role in the wake of a popular movement that introduced parliamentary democracy.

The prince was suspected of pushing to return Nepal to an absolute monarchy system.

Meanwhile, nearly all the shops in Katmandu remained closed as a mark of respect. Government officials were easily recognizable in the streets, their heads shaved under orders by the home ministry.

The ministry also requested that all celebratory events, such as weddings, be postponed for the 13 days earmarked for performing rituals in remembrance of the king and his family.

Television cable operators switched off all entertainment channels, leaving only state television and 24-hour news channels.

Hours after the announcement on Saturday afternoon that Nepal's state council had anointed Dipendra as the new king, stunned crowds attended the cremation of the Nepalese royal family on the banks of the sacred Bagmati River.

A swift funeral is in keeping with Hindu tradition.

A nation in mourning

Thousands of emotional mourners lined the streets to watch as the bodies were taken through the streets of the capital, Katmandu.

Meanwhile, CNN's Naji says there is a growing sense of anger over the lack of official information about what happened inside the palace on that fateful Friday night.

Demonstrations have been held calling on the government to resign for not doing enough to protect the royal family.

Riot police backed up by troops have been deployed on the streets of the capital in an effort to maintain security.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.