Delhi slams attack, Pashupati fortified,

The sacred shrine of Pashupatinath has turned into a high-security zone with the government deploying an estimated 1,000 security personnel in and around the temple after Maoist supporters thrashed the newly-appointed Indian priests on Friday.

Amid tight security, the priests – Girish Bhatt and Raghavendra Bhatt–performed rituals at the shrine on Saturday morning.

The priests—Girish Bhatt and Raghmendra Bhatt—visited 11 different temples of Lord Shiva in the Pashupati area. As per their assignment, Girish and Raghmendra performed puja at the northern gate of the temple and in Bashuki Nag Temple, respectively.

The government stepped up security at the temple after Unified CPN (Maoist) and Priest Appointment Joint Struggle Committee (PAJSC) members beat up the priests, even snapping off their janai (sacred thread). The act invited strong reaction from New Delhi on Saturday.

“The attack on the newly appointed Indian priests, Girish Bhatt and Raghavendra Bhatt, at the revered and sacred Pashupatinath temple on September 4 has caused deep anguish and serious concern in India. The matter was immediately taken up through our Embassy in Kathmandu at the highest levels in the Government of Nepal and our concerns conveyed,” India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The Nepalese authorities at the highest level have assured us that they are taking additional steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian priests in Nepal, according to the statement. “We strongly believe that this unprovoked and criminal act of violence goes against the grain of the civilisational ties of friendship that have existed since time immemorial between the peoples of Nepal and India. The safety and security of Indian citizens abroad is an abiding and core concern of the Government of India and we continue to closely monitor the situation surrounding yesterday's unfortunate incident in Kathmandu.”

Shortly before the statement was issued, Minister for Culture, Minendra Rijal and Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood inspected the temple.

Minister Rijal said the attack was politically motivated. “Nationality and appointment of priests are two different issues,” Rijal said. Sood condemned the attack.

The Pashupati area witnessed demonstrations despite the government's prohibitory order. The protesters burnt tyres and shouted slogans against the government at Purano Baneshwor, Gaushala, Chabahil and Battisputali. They were demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Minister for Culture and review of the PADT decision to appoint the Indian priests.

PAJSC has been protesting since last week following the Indian priests' appointment. It has been demanding the appointment of Nepali priests and greater transparency on the utilisation of money that worshippers offer.

In its bid to keep untoward incidents at bay, the PADT barred devotees from the temple for sometime. The temple, however, opened from 6 to 8 pm on Saturday evening to allow evening prayers