Maoists gunned down a college campus head in Pokhara in Nepal and two of his security guards, the police said on Monday.

Six rebels on motorbikes opened fire at Ganeshman Palikhe, head of Janapriya campus, while he was returning home from the college on Sunday. He died on way to the hospital, the sources said.

The Maoists also shot down two of Palikhe's security guards.

The government had provided him with protection after he received threats from rebels.

Police are investigating the killing.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights and Peace Society on Monday released a probe report into the Chitawan massacre in which 40 people were killed in a landmine blast that targeted a passenger bus.

The report found the Maoists responsible for the incident.

The rebels detonated the explosive with the help of an electric wire from a tree located 200 metres from the site, the report said.

The rebels have stepped up violence since February 1, when King Gyanendra took control of the government and imposed a state of emergency that was lifted in April.

They have repeatedly refused government calls for peace talks.

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