Suspected Maoist rebels have shot dead a prominent Hindu priest in southwestern Nepal, police said, in what is believed to be the first killing of a religious leader in the nearly decade-long insurgency. Narayan Prasad Pokhrel, the chairman of World Hindu Federation-Nepal, was killed early on Friday in the outskirts of the southwestern town of Butwal. A colleague was also wounded in the attack. Police said Pokhrel died instantly after being shot by five gunmen on motorcycles. They were unsure about the motive behind the killing. A resident of Kathmandu, Pokhrel had been to the town to attend a religious function. An unidentified official at the World Hindu Federation, a separate Hindu group, told The Associated Press the rebels had previously attacked Hindu activists, but this was the first time a religious leader had been killed. More than 11,000 Nepalis have died since the Maoists launched their "people's war" in 1996 to abolish monarchy and establish a one-party communist rule. Pokhrel's family members and relatives were in a state of shock. "I received a telephone call from him at around six in the morning. He said he wanted to return soon," his wife Malati told AP. "Minutes later, someone called saying he is dead; he has been killed," she said, wailing and shaking her head in disbelief.
Since February 1, Nepal has been under emergency rule and fundamental rights remain suspended, though the royalist government has progressively relaxed restrictions amid intense international pressure. Many of Nepal's major donors have already suspended or have threatened to suspend international aid. India, Britain and the United States, major suppliers of arms to Nepal, have put a hold on military supplies since the royal takeover.