King Birendra was described even by his school teachers as a very kind and emotional prince, and is frequently known to the people of Nepal as one of greatest kings, if not the greatest leading monarch the Nepali citizens ever had, unlike his brother, Gyanendra. King Birendra was described as one of the few Nepalese monarchs who wanted the Nepalese people to experience real democracy. This was observed in the 2036 B.S. Janmat Sangraha (1980 Referendum) when he wanted the people to choose whether they wanted ‘Multiparty Democracy’ or a ‘Reformed Panchayat System’. Also, in People’s Movement I, he decided to establish ‘Constitutional Monarchy’ in Nepal instead of fighting for dictatorshipThe stability of Nepal was threatened even more when Birendra and his family (including Queen Aishwarya) were massacred at a royal dinner on 1 June 2001. Almost all of the Royal family members were killed in the massacre except Gyanendra Shah, Birendra’s younger brother. Dipendra was proclaimed king but died a few days later of self-inflicted gunshot wounds sustained in the massacre. Thus Gyanendra then became king. Eyewitness reports and an official investigation (carried by a two-man committee made up of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Keshav Prasad Upadhaya and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat),[19] confirmed that Dipendra was the gunman. A detailed investigation is impossible as the “Tribhuvan Sadan” (the building where the massacre occurred) was demolished by the Gyanendra government.
