Removal of Indian priests from temple kicks off row in Nepal

Nepali Congress (NC) alleged that it was done in a hurry without going through proper process and formalities.

“The way Maoist government replaced the priests serving at the Pashupatinath Temple without fulfilling any formality has hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu people of Nepal,” said NC chief Laxman Ghimire in the Parliament on Monday.

He said the removal of the priests on the basis of a personal decision of the member secretary of the Pashupatinath Area Development Trust is violation of rules and a blow to the Hindu sentiments in the country, where overwhelming majority of the people are Hindus.

“The decision to sack the priests by changing the centuries-old tradition should have been done through the cabinet,” he said.

In what seems to have ignited the issue in the Himalayan nation, the World Hindu Federation (WHF Nepal chapter) staged sit-in in front of Pashupatinath today to oppose the Maoist government’s unilateral decision.