KATMANDU, Nepal — In private villas across this Himalayan capital, about a dozen men and women have the country's deepest secret buried in their hearts: They know who wiped out the royal family.
All attended the grand dinner Friday at which King Birendra and most of the royal family were killed, and survived the blood bath. But they have refused to go against royal protocol and talk about what happened, a senior palace official told The Associated Press.
The official provided AP with the names of some guests, all high-ranking, well-known citizens. Their presence at the party, where about two dozen people were dining, has not been made public.
One of these survivors — who include four injured royal relatives who remained hospitalized Tuesday — is eventually bound to talk. Until then, conspiracy theories abound, and many suspect the motive behind the killings had its roots in political or royal rivalry.
As the new King Gyanendra ordered an inquiry into the killings, Nepal's capital was abuzz Tuesday with rumors and conspiracy theories, exchanged in hushed tones at roadsides, in homes and in coffee shops.
"Because of the lack of credible official information, it is not surprising that people are engaging in all kinds of rumors," said sociologist Krishna Bhattchan. "It's a rumor shop out here."
The upheaval has also given Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, whose government has been tainted by a corruption scandal and is fast losing popularity, a breather. The public has been angry Koirala hasn't done more to rid the country of Maoist rebels, who are currently active in 22 districts and run a parallel administration in four.
The government and palace have had sharp differences over the Maoist insurgency. The government has urged sending in the army, but the palace and army brass have ignored the demand. The interior minister quit last year to protest this "indifference."
Military and government officials privately told journalists within hours of the killing that the late Crown Prince Dipendra had gunned down his family and then turned the weapon on himself because the queen would not allow him to marry the woman he loved.
King Gyanendra, who was enthroned Monday, hours after the crown prince died, added to the public uncertainty by blaming the killings on "a sudden burst of an automatic weapon," implying it was an accident.
According to a reconstruction by several palace sources, King Biendra and Queen Aishwarya, their family and close friends were seated at the dining table in the "Billiard Room" in the Narayanhiti Palace when Crown Prince Dipendra walked in just before 9 p.m.
The prince, who appeared to have been drinking, demanded that his parents declare his engagement to his girlfriend of several years, Devyani Rana, the sources said. The queen disapproved of Rana because she was not a member of the same Shah clan and also insisted on an arranged marriage, customary in Nepal.
An argument followed. Some palace officials say they heard shouting from the room, but senior officers of the king's staff reject this, saying the king's aides were all in their rooms or relaxing by the royal cars downstairs.
The crown prince, who had received military training, then went to the palace armory and took out an Israeli-made Galil assault rifle, said the senior palace official, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity.
In a fit of rage, the crown prince ran down the stairs and allegedly sprayed the room with bullets. Then he changed into his army fatigues and returned with a 9 mm pistol.
As aides, who had rushed in after hearing the gunshots, tried to hold him back, Prince Dipendra allegedly shot himself in the temple with the pistol, the bullet leaving a large exit wound at the back of his head.
Most Nepalese refuse to believe this account.
Many suspect Prince Paras Shah, the new King Gyanendra's son. Others say Gyanendra himself, who was not in town that night, might have had a role, since he gained most from the deaths.
Paras Shah is the least-liked of Nepal's royals. He has been involved in at least three hit-and-run cases, and was accused of killing a popular folk singer after hitting him with his car last August. Under public pressure, the government was to open an inquiry against him, but later deferred the decision.
Many speculate that because both the soon-to-be crowned King Gyanendra and his son were not at the dinner, they joined forces in a conspiracy. However, the senior palace official said Paras Shah was at the dinner, as was his mother, who was injured and remains hospitalized.
"We are not angry against the king so much, but we are concerned about this so-called Crown Prince Paras. He is a loose character," said Mahesh Swar, a 26-year-old shopkeeper standing in line to sign the condolence book at the Narayanhiti Palace.
The palace official shrugged off speculation that Paras Shah might have been involved in the deadly attack.
He said the cousins, Paras and Dipendra, had a close relationship and Dipendra was the only royal Paras would listen to.
The only outsiders at the palace dinner were trusted waiters, but the palace official said they were not involved.
It remains a mystery that Nepalese are desperate to solve.
"They say it was an accident. But our whole royal family has been killed. The young people of this country just want to know the truth," said Priya Bhattarai, a 20-year-old hotel worker.
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