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