Born on 27 June, 1971, King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was the only king in Nepal who reigned briefly (from 1 to 4 June 2001) while in coma as the King of Nepal. In an official report submitted by the investigation team formed by the local government it was reported that he killed his family at a royal dinner on June 1, 2001, before shooting himself. However, the general public does not believe the reports rather see the massacre as a conspiracy.

He has completed his schooling from Budhanilkantha School, Kathmandu and had joined Eton College in England. He also attended Tribhuvan University in Nepal for his Master’s degree in Geography. He had also joined the Military Academy at Kharipati and was a PhD student in the Tribhuvan University.

According to the official reports, the then Crown Prince Dipendra assassinated his entire family because of anger over a marriage dispute. He wanted to marry Devyani Rana (daughter of Pashupati SJB Rana), however, his family members, especially his mother objected it since the Shah family of the Kings has a historic animosity with the Ranas. Although most of the marriages of the Shah family have been conducted with the members of Rana family and also that these two clans have a history of inter-marriages, the Royal family went against the marriage of Crown Prince Dipendra with Devyani Rana. This was cited as the reason behind Dipendra massacring his entire family.

His uncle Prince Gyanendra is often accused of being the mastermind behind the murder of all the competitors to the throne. No sooner had the speculation began, he issued an official statement claiming that the massacre had resulted as an automatic weapon misfiring accidently. He also appointed two men to investigate the massacre and according to their report, the massacre occurred because Dipendra was denied his choice of wife by his mother. So, he got drunk and killed all his family members and some of his relatives in the massacre. He went in coma for three days during which he was declared the King of Nepal. King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was succeeded by his uncle former King Gyanendra Shah after his death on June 4, 2001.