The prime minister’s spokesman says senior party officials decided Sunday to remove Land Reforms Minister Prabhu Sah.

Sah is being investigated by police in the killing last year of the head of Nepal’s Hindu Youth Association by three masked gunmen.

Sah has denied involvement, and prosecutors have declined to lodge a case against him, citing a lack of evidence. Critics say the prosecutors were pressured by the government.

Opposition lawmakers obstructed parliament last week to demand Sah’s resignation.