The two priests – Raghavan and Girish – who hail from South India, have been recently picked by the government as per traditional practice continuing for hundreds of years in Nepal. The Maoist-led protests last December against this practice were brought to a halt after the Supreme Court (SC) intervened and stayed the then government’s decision to appoint Nepali priests. The Maoist government’s decision was condemned by other major political parties and it had to bow down under tremendous pressure from all quarters. Unfortunately, however, in spite of the SC order, the Maoists have continued violent activities at Pashupati premises. Also, it demonstrates that Maoists don´t hesitate to resort to violence to have their say and way.
The Maoists, on their part, said Saturday that the party has “no involvement” whatsoever in the incident. A statement issued by the UCPN (Maoist) said that the party respects religious freedom and that the struggle committee, which is advancing the protests, has been formed by the people themselves. However, eyewitnesses have explicitly said that two instigators – Ramesh Dangol and Prem Pandey – are active members of the Maoist-affiliated Newa Mukti Morcha. It thus goes without saying that the party needs to extend the much-needed control over its cadres running amok in the country demonstrating aggressive behaviors.
Meanwhile, the government, specifically the Culture Ministry, must work together with the Pashupati Area Development Trust to formulate a lasting solution to the problem. As an immediate solution, the government must ensure the safety and security of the Indian priests who have been targeted by the Maoists. The Minister for Culture Dr Minendra Rijal on Saturday met with the priests and not only apologized to them for the attacks and humiliation they faced but has also ensured them security. This is a step in the right direction.
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