Nepal demands massacre inquiry

By staff and wire reports

KATHMANDU, Nepal -- Nepal crowned a new king Monday as police in Kathmandu clashed with demonstrators angry over the killings of nine members of the royal family.

Running battles between police and demonstrators, angry about conflicting explanations over what happened, resulted in the death of two and injuries to 19, hospital officials said.

Many protestors said they believed there had been some conspiracy to wipe out the royal family and demanded to know all the facts.

Thousands of angry mourners who refused to believe Crown Prince Dipendra killed his family and then himself lobbed rocks outside the palace, chanting "Dipendra is innocent" and "We don't want Gyanendra."

ON THE SCENE Kasra Naji: Nepal curfew could be extended     AUDIO CNN's Kasra Naji says troops have encircled Nepal's royal palace to protect newly crowned King Gyanendra, as violence breaks out across the city 929 KB/1 min 26 sec. AIFF or WAV sound    VIDEO CNN's Kasra Naji reports on the crowning of a new king in Nepal as demonstrators demand answers for the royal family massacre (June 4) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Prince Gyanendra, brother to slain King Birendra, takes the throne (June 4) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) A march turns violent in the streets of Kathmandu (June 4) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Nepal announces the killings were an accident. CNN's Kasra Naji reports some are skeptical (June 3) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) 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)     MESSAGE BOARD Share your thoughts on the unrest in Nepal     GALLERY Scenes from the succession     ALSO Party boy prince 'Dippy' had a sullen streak Tourists rescued in Nepal Kasra Naji: Clan rivalry may have sparked royal killings Report paints picture of prince's drunken rampage Nepal's royal family; revered and reserved

Armed riot police fired tear gas to disperse them.

Police ordered an overnight curfew, and state-run radio warned residents to remain indoors.

By the time Dipendra's funeral procession got under way just before sunset, the streets of Kathmandu were deserted.

Much of Nepal had already shut down for a five-day mourning period for the slain royals, and ahead of the curfew, soldiers in Kathmandu had pointed their guns at people, ordering them to get home.

The announcement naming Prince Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev as king came just hours after the death of the prince's nephew, King Dipendra Bir Bikram, who government sources said carried out the shooting before turning the gun on himself .

Later, however, the palace described the shootings as accidental.

Dipendra, 29, died following two days in a coma and on life support.

Contradiction

The circumstances surrounding the shootings grew murkier Sunday when palace officials said Nepal's king, queen and other members of the royal family were shot dead Friday by an accidental burst of automatic weapons fire.

That contradicted earlier reports from government officials who said Dipendra -- the former crown prince -- opened fire on members of his own family at a dinner party, using an automatic rifle.

Palace officials had no explanation for why there was an automatic rifle present at a dinner party.

Dipendra ascended to the throne on the death of his father, King Birendra, but he was incapacitated because of his wounds.

At first, the nation was stunned by the killings, but tension rose in the capital as conflicting reports began to emerge over the incident.

The government imposed a curfew, authorizing police to shoot violators as soldiers with machine guns ringed the palace.

Some members of the crowd called for the new king to resign, suggesting he was involved in the deaths of the royal family members.

Gyanendra, 53, has promised an inquiry into the confusing circumstance surrounding the deaths and said the truth will be told to the people.

In addition to Birendra and Dipendra, those killed include Queen Aishwarya, Princess Sruti, Prince Nirajan, Princess Sharada, Princess Shanti and Kumar Khadga, the late king's brother-in-law.

Birenda's younger brother was wounded and is in hospital.

Choice of bride

Speculation as to the motive for the shooting centered around a long-running dispute between Dipendra and his mother, regarding the choice of his bride.

But the debate continues to rage in Nepal over the varying accounts of what happened in the royal dining room, as the government remains tight-lipped over the circumstances surrounding the massacre.

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.

But his son was suspected of pushing to return Nepal to an absolute monarchy system.

One newspaper reported that Maoist rebels, who want to topple the constitutional monarchy, pointed to a "grave political conspiracy," rejecting the idea a lovestruck prince killed the royal family.

The Kathmandu Post, an independent English-language daily, carried a statement signed by Prachanda, the president of the underground CPN-Maoist party, calling the shootings a "pre-planned massacre" that would end Nepal's present political system.

Monarchs have little formal power in Nepal, but public criticism is taboo.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.