The first eyewitness accounts of the massacre of almost the entire Nepalese royal family portray the heroic role of Prince Paras Shah, the new King Gyanendra's unpopular son and heir.
"Had it not been for Prince Paras, probably there would not have been so many survivors," Dr Rajiv Raj Shahi, who is married to the dead king's niece, said yesterday. He was speaking at Kathmandu's military hospital, where the victims were brought after Friday's carnage at the Narayanhiti Palace.
Dr Shahi declined to say what exactly Prince Paras did to save some royals from Crown Prince Dipendra's 90-second shooting rampage. Other eyewitnesses claim Prince Paras saved at least three royals, including two children, by pulling a sofa over them. "What motivated him [Dipendra] to do this I'm not sure. He was just a murderer", said Dr Shahi, who escaped being hit by jumping sideways when Prince Dipendra, armed with an assortment of assault rifles he was testing for the Nepalese military, veered menacingly towards him.
"I'm very sorry to say this but it was done by him [Dipendra]", said the dead king's uncle, Maheshwar Prasad Singh, who saved himself by diving for cover. "But the fact is that I have seen it," he added.
Official sources said King Gyanendra, anxious for public acceptance and to portray positively the disliked Prince Paras - not yet declared the Crown Prince despite being the only surviving male of the Shah dynasty - had "cleared" the public vilification of Prince Dipendra as the murderer by some royals who were eyewitnesses to the shooting.
"King Gyanendra is an accomplished strategist who ruthlessly uses people to accomplish his aims," someone known to him said. At present, he desperately wanted to legitimise his rule in the face of widespread unpopularity and "improve" his unpopular son's image, he added. A drunken Prince Paras reportedly killed two people, including a popular folk singer recently.
He is also a brawler who misbehaves publicly, flaunts his royal status and is never charged.
Dr Shahi said the shooting began around 9 p.m., an hour after the drunken crown prince was led to his room.
Prince Dipendra shot his father and one of his aunts several times, Dr Shahi said.
The prince then staggered out to the garden but returned and resumed shooting. Dr Shahi's father-in-law, Prince Dhirendra, tried to stop him but was shot in the chest at point blank range.
At that point, Prince Dipendra went wild, indiscriminately raking the room with gunfire. He then went into the garden once more where his mother, Queen Aishwarya, and Prince Niranjan confronted him. He shot them both dead. Prince Dipendra then shot himself. He died in hospital on Monday.
