Panel questions the king of Nepal

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A public inquiry in Nepal has asked King Gyanendra to explain his role in the alleged crackdown against the pro-democracy demonstrations in April.

The monarch headed the cabinet before a popular uprising forced him to end his year-long direct rule.

A spokesman for the inquiry, Dilli Raman Acharya told the BBC that written questions have been sent to the palace.

The king has traditionally been above the law and has never been questioned by a public panel in the past.

Twenty-one people died and several hundred were wounded as security forces used batons, fired tear-gas shells and opened fire to disperse the anti-king protestors.

Future of monarchy

The future of the monarchy is currently being debated in peace talks between a multi-party government and the Maoist rebels.

The public inquiry is probing alleged excesses by the army

The inquiry has been investigating alleged excesses against pro-democracy demonstrators.

Since it was formed in June, the inquiry panel has questioned more than 200 officials, including former ministers and the chiefs of the security agencies.

The authorities said that the inquiry panel would recommend actions against officials found guilty of committing excesses.

A retired supreme court justice, Krishna Jung Rayamajhi, heads the five-member panel.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country to press for the restoration of democracy during a three-week agitation that forced King Gyanendra to end his direct rule six months ago.

A multi-party government has been in place since then.