Maoists attack Pashupatinath temple staff in Nepal

Hundreds of Maoists attacked the caretakers at the Pashupati Nath temple in Nepal, leaving a dozen persons injured.The Maoists want the control of the temple to be handed over to the Nepali priests.

Until now the family of Indian priests has been running the affairs and conducting the rituals at the temple.The Brahmin family from India that has been governing the religious rites for long, are to be replaced by local Nepali priests.

After the Communists seized power in Nepal, the monarchy was abolished.Nepal was the lone Hindu kingdom in the world as long as the monarchs reigned in the Himalyan nation. Now the country is officially a secular state with Prachanda at the helm.

The government had ordered that the Brahmins be replaced. Though Supreme Court stayed the order, the Maoist cadre stormed into the temple, leaving nearly a dozen injured.

Meanwhile, Hindu organisations, the 'Bhandaris' and Nepali Congress have decided to launch agitation to oppose the government's move and protest the Maoists' actions. The government has defended its step and said that it wasn't a move against Indians.