Murder Most Foul in Nepal, or an Accident?

June 5 -- Police in full riot gear spread out across the Nepalese capital of Katmandu today as a second day of curfew was called to contain the rage and confusion that has gripped the Himalayan nation following a royal massacre.

There is still no official explanation for the killings on Friday of 10 royals, including the king and queen, except for an earlier statement by the new king, saying the killings were accidental.

Two people have been killed and at least 20 injured in the violent demonstrations that have besieged the ancient city. Today, for the second day in a row, authorities imposed a nighttime curfew.

More than a dozen people who defied the curfew were arrested as they attempted to march toward the Gharwal Palace in downtown Katmandu.

Curfew violators face a one-month jail sentence and police were given shoot-on-sight orders as locals voiced their dissatisfaction over the crowning of the new King Gyanendra on Monday.

The middle brother of slain King Birendra, Gyanendra is not a very popular member of an otherwise beloved royal family that has been widely credited for being a stabilizing force in Nepalese politics.

The murder mystery has gripped a nation since the shooting on Friday. Initial reports were that Crown Prince Dipendra fired on members of his family before turning the gun on himself in a disagreement over his choice for a bride.

But as the political situation gets increasingly tense, most Nepalese were looking to an inquiry set up by King Gyanendra, which has three days to make its findings public, for answers.

Hiccups in Inquiry

The inquiry, a massive push in King Gyanendra's uphill battle to win the trust of his 23 million subjects, is headed by Nepalese Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya.

But the inquiry got off to a bad start today with one of its three members, the leader of the political opposition, raising procedural questions.

In his first address to the distraught nation on Monday, King Gyanendra called for calm. "We need to be united at this hour so that no one can take undue advantage of the situation and harm the independence and democracy of the nation," he said in a televised address.