The official probe into Nepal's palace massacre tonight held an intoxicated crown princeDipendra "solely" responsible for the killing of kingBirendra, queen Aishwariya and seven other royals and said hespoke to his girlfriend Devyani Rana thrice on mobile phoneshortly before the shooting spree.
The two-member probe panel set up by king Gyanendra, inits report made public, said a "drunk" Dipendra in armyfatigues fired indiscriminately at the royal family memberswho were relaxing in the billiard room of Narayanhiti palaceafter dinner on June 1, echoing the eyewitness and otheraccounts which most Nepalese refuse to buy.
The panel, headed by chief justice Keshab PrasadUpadhyaya, did not say whether Dipendra, who later died inhospital, had shot himself as claimed by an eyewitness andsome royal relatives.
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The report, released by parliament speaker Taranath Ranabhat, a member of the panel, at a televised pressconference, said Dipendra shot his father king Birendra first,then his mother followed by the other royals.
Coming in the backdrop of heightened security acrossNepal rocked by widespread violence in the wake of themassacre, the report said Dipendra had "consumed alcohol andsmoked cigarettes laced with opium before he walked into thebilliard room and gunned the royals."
Before carrying out the killings, Dipendra had made threecalls from his mobile telephone to Devyani whom he wanted tomarry but his mother was said to be opposed to it.
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In his last call to Devyani, Dipendra told her "I am nowabout to sleep. Good night. We will talk tomorrow."
The weapons used by Dipendra including a nine mmsub-machine gun, a 12 bore french gun, 5.56 calibre rifle weredisplayed at the press conference attended by nearly 300 localand foreign journalists.
The report did not not give indication to the motivebehind the killings.
The 200-page report said Devyani in her telephonictape-recorded interview to Nepal's envoy to India B.B. Thapaspoke of "a close relationship with Dipendra." The tapedconservation was used as evidence by the panel.
Her parents told the committee that there was contactbetween Dipendra and Devyani.
However, Devyani, in her twenties, refused to disclosethe details of her conversation with Dipendra saying that"they were matters concerning her personal affair and she didnot not want to say anything about them," it said.
The report said during the visit of the site, the teamfound brain tissues, a few teeth and jaws, red 'tika', two earpins, broken pieces of red glass bangles and blood stains tobe scattered here and there at the place where the queen wasshot.
It said that no no cartridge cases were found at themassacre site other than those used by Dipendra.
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Giving details of the report, Ranabhat said that thecrown prince came for the traditional Friday night dinner at1930 hours after drinking his "favourite Grouse whiskey". Hethen asked an aide for cigarettes laced with opium and anunidentified black substance.
He was intoxicated, swaying from side to side and wastaken to his quarters in the palace in a drunken state by hisbodyguard, his brother Niranjan, prince Paras and anotherrelative, he said.
Dipendra then made a call on his mobile phone toDevyani in Kathmandu. She, in turn within minutes, telephonedsome aides of Dipendra telling them that the crown prince'sspeech sounded slurred and asked "is he somewhat unwell ?".
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The aides then went looking for the crown prince andfound him sprawled on the ground and trying to take hisclothes on the upper part of the body. They helped him in theprocess and after that he proceeded to the bathroom, it said.
After coming out of the bathroom, he ordered the aidesto retire in their respective rooms, the report quoted anorderly as saying.
He later came down in army fatigues to the billiardsroom and began his killings spree starting with his fatherking Birendra who was standing near the east end of thebilliards room talking to others.
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The report said that all this while, Dipendra moved inand out of billiards room, firing indiscriminately killing thequeen, his sister princess Shruti, brother Nirajan, his uncle Dhirendra, the king's cousin princeJayanti, the king'ssisters princess Sharada and princess Shanti and the king'sbrother-in-law Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah.
The report was made public soon after it was submitted toking Gyanendra who had ordered the probe on June 4 in the wakeof large-scale violence by protesters demanding an impartialprobe into palace massacre.
During the investigation, the panel relied on statementof over 100 people including eyewitnesses, royal palace staff,firearms and forensic experts and doctors.
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The report also coincided with final rituals of Dipendrawho died in hospital two days after the massacre of gunshotwounds which he is alleged to have been received.
Detailing the shooting by Dipendra, the report said thecrown prince entered the billiard room with a 9mm caliberautomatic sub-machine gun and then fired "rat-tat-tat" at hismajesty the king.
"All this while, the crown prince moved back and came outof the billiard room, threw the 12 bore French gun near thestairs to the north of the inner garden edge east of thebilliard room and then entered the room again aiming the 5.56caliber rifle with light and telesope and fired rat-tat-tatagain" at king Birendra, the report said.
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It has been learnt from experts that the sub-machine guncan fire upto 900 bullets per minute and the rifle can sendout 700 to 1,000 bullets every minute, it said.
The report said the ADCs heard the sound of firing andthe alarm "call the doctors soon..." and entered the billiardhall by breaking the glass of the door to immediately startrescue work.
One ADC entered the hall and carried king Birendra, whowas unconscious, to the car and drove to the military hospitalwhere other victims were also rushed by ADCs and securitypersonnel.
A royal ADC and a major found Dipendra lying on his backand gurgling to the south of the small bridge over a littlepond at the garden in front of Tribhuvan Sadan where thebedroom of the crown prince was located, according to thereport.
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During the visit to the site, a 9mm caliber Glock Gespistol, which Dipendra was said to be in possession, and emptycartridges released from the pistol were found in the water ofthe pond as also a 5.56 caliber m-16 a2 rifle on a lawnnearby.
Speaker Taranath Ranabhat told reporters that "we havedone whatever was possible within the mandate given to us andwe have placed before you whatever facts we have found."
The probe panel was to submit its report last Sunday butwas given four more days to collect medical and forensicreports.
PTI
