Nepal King stays away from royal wedding IANS
Kathmandu, May 14: What was to be Nepal’s wedding of the month, between a former Indian royal and the daughter of Nepal’s army chief, became the most politically incorrect event with the most important guest, King Gyanendra, staying away.
Gyanendra and Queen Komal did not attend the reception thrown here on Saturday by General Pyar Jung Thapa, chief of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA), to mark the wedding of his daughter, Ms Pragyashree to Mr Pratapsinhrao Gaekwad, the 35-year-old Mumbai-based tycoon and scion of the Gaekwads, the former rulers of Vadodara in western India.
Though Crown Prince Paras had attended a pre-wedding party on Friday at a former palace in Kathmandu, Baber Mahal, where he had last year created a scene during the birthday of his wife Crown Princess Himani, he and his wife too did not attend the wedding party. After a nationwide revolt against King Gyanendra’s autocratic rule forced the king to relinquish power last month, the royals have been keeping a low profile.
With the nation now clamouring for an end to monarchy, the crown prince’s plans to spend a fortnight in the picturesque tourist town of Pokhara had to be shelved. However, Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia, son of the late Madhavrao Scindia and MP from Gwalior, and former Test cricketer, Anshuman Gaekwad were among the Indians who attended the wedding.
The wedding itself took place under the shadow of public humiliation for Gen Thapa, who is held responsible for human rights violations, illegal arrests, torture in custody and extra-judicial killings by the RNA. While international human rights organisations are lobbying the United Nations to drop RNA soldiers from its peacekeeping operations, they are also asking foreign governments not to issue travel documents to Gen Thapa and senior RNA generals.
An inquiry commission formed to bring to justice the royalist ministers, bureaucrats and security officials responsible for the suppression of anti-king protests last month has recommended to the new government of the Prime Minister, Mr Girija Prasad Koirala that all the chiefs of the four national security agencies be suspended. Though the government consequently suspended the chiefs of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation Department, it has still not taken action against Gen Thapa fearing another coup by the army.
Developing cold feet, the new council of ministers decided to refer the issue to the Security Council, a surprising decision since the council currently consists of the prime minister and the army chief. On Saturday, the day of the wedding, Mr Koirala summoned Gen Thapa and his deputy, Lt Gen Rukmangat Katwal, to discuss the issue but the government has remained silent on the outcome.
Army sources, however, said the RNA had been put on alert on Saturday even as there was a display of armoured personnel carriers. A similar situation had occurred in 1991: after another people’s movement clipped the wings of the then king Birendra and a democratic government was formed, then prime minister, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai had summoned then army chief Gen Sachit Shumsher Jung Bahadaur Rana.
The latter had turned up with 22 generals, a show of strength staged to frighten the government into inaction.
