Dipendra officially to blame for killings

The team investigating the murder of King Birendra of Nepal and most of his family has concluded that Crown Prince Dipendra carried out the murders, leaked reports from Kathmandu indicate.

The chief justice of Nepal, Keshab Prasad Uphadyaya, and the speaker of the lower house of parliament, Taranath Rana Bhatt, finished work yesterday and were expected to present their report to the new monarch, King Gyanendra. The local media has speculated that the report will be made public on Monday.

Security in the city was stepped up yesterday. Police were under orders to stop all mass gatherings and marches near Narayanhity Palace, the royal family's residence, and after dark they searched cars at major crossroads.

On 4 June ­ the day Crown Prince Dipendra, briefly named as the new king, died in hospital of allegedly self-inflicted wounds, and his uncle, Gyanendra, ascended the throne ­ riots broke out across Kathmandu as citizens demanded to be told the truth about the massacre.

The two-man commission interviewed more than 100 people but one crucial witness who declined was Devyani Rana, the woman Dipendra was refused permission to marry by his mother, Queen Aishwarya. It was an argument over his choice of bride that is believed to have triggered Dipendra's attack. Devyani is believed to be in India.