The Assassination of late Lyonchen Jigme Palden Dorji.
In the early 1960s, the Third King fell ill and went to Switzerland for treatment. Dorji conflicted with the Royal Bhutan Army over the use of military vehicles, forced the retirement of some 50 military officers, and sought to limit the power of state-supported religious institutions such as the Dratsang Lhentsog and Je Khenpo. On April 5, 1964, reformist Prime Minster Jigme Palden Dorji was assassinated in Phuentsholing by military cadres as the king lay ill in Switzerland. The Dorji family was subsequently put under close watch.
The King's own uncle and head of the Royal Bhutan Army, Namgyal Bahadur, was among those executed for their role in the assassination of Jigme Palden Dorji.
The post of Prime Minister (Lyonchen) was vacant, and the King identified Jigme Dorji's brother Lhendup as the successor. Lhendup's mother, then head of the Dorji family, advised the King against giving any title to Lhendup because it would have made the situation more explosive. In 1964, however, the King announced his intention to appoint Lhendup as Lyoenchen. Lhendup fled to Nepal in 1965 due to political pressure, and was effectively exiled by the National assembly.
The night before the assassination Jigme had met with Mr Avtar Singh, India's representative accredited to Bhutan at the time, at Samtse and left for Phuentsholing the day after. While playing cards with his brother Rimpochhe, Rimpochhe's wife Savitri and some others, Jigme was shot from a window ten feet to the rear of where Jigme was sitting.
On the capture and interrogation of the assassin, the assassin confessed that he received orders to shoot from Chabda Namgyal Bahadur – the army chief and an uncle to King Jigme. Chabda Namgyal was discreetly arrested at the palace quarters and was executed. Quartermaster General Bacchu Phugel was also arrested and placed under strict detention in relation to the assassination. It was purported that although Chabda Namgyal had given the orders Bacchu Phugel was actually the brains behind the assassination. Before any verdict was passed Bacchu Phugel was stabbed and killed in his cell during the night.
It was also later revealed that the pistol the assassin had used was loaned to the assassin by the mistress of King Jigme Dorji – a weapon gifted to her by the King.
The investigation into the assassination ended with the execution of Chabda Namgyal and did not unveil any motives behind the assassination. But, it is suspected that the assassination happened due to the rising power struggle between Chabda Namgyal, Bacchu Phugel and the mistress versus Jigme Palden Dorji. There was a rift between Chabda and Bacchu due to the new policies and induction of young blood into high positions by Jigme Palden Dorji. It was also reported that when the mistress was using government transportation, under the army for her personal use, Jigme Palden Dorji transferred the trucks under the civil administration which increased tensions between them.
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