Two gunmen shot and killed a Muslim community leader outside the central mosque in the capital yesterday, sparking angry protests by supporters and grieving family members.

More than a dozen shots were fired at Faizan Ahamad Ansari, 36, general secretary of the Nepal Islamic Society, an organization that promotes free education among Muslim communities, as he left the mosque after prayers.

He was rushed to nearby Bir hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Press reports said he sustained gunshot wounds to his head, neck and chest and police have instigated a search for suspects.

Dozens of family members, friends and supporters gathered outside the hospital, angrily chanting slogans and demanding justice.

Nazrul Hasan Falahi, president of the Muslim Society, said yesterday’s killing was one of many in recent months.

“We are alarmed at the targeted killing of Muslims in Nepal. Muslims in Nepalgunj [in the southwest] have also been killed in broad daylight and others have been shot at by professional killers in Kathmandu, with some losing their lives.”

In April, a Pakistani embassy official was shot and wounded, and a Muslim businessman was shot and killed in the city center the previous week.

Interfaith organizations and representatives of various religions have expressed outrage over the killing.

The Catholic Church in Nepal issued a letter of sympathy to Nazrul Hasan Falahi that assured the Muslim community of its prayers for the deceased and his family.

The superintendent in charge of the police station, across the street from where the shooting took place, has been transferred by the government to police headquarters in the capital, in a gesture seen by many as cosmetic to mask the embarrassment of police officials.

Father Pius Perumana, pro-vicar and director of Caritas Nepal, the social arm of the local Church, expressed his grief over the shooting.

“We offer up our sympathies to the minority Muslim community. It is very sad to see an ordinary Muslim man shot dead near the gates of a police station after coming from his prayers. People from minorities, including Christians, become easy targets if the police cannot protect them.”