E-Paper
Azamgarh man who shot wife, two priests and 9-year-old son killed in encounter
Azamgarh SSP Anil Kumar said Arvind Singh, 42, had locked himself inside a room with his three children after the firing and refused to surrender despite repeated persuasion by police. “He opened fire at the police team when officers entered the room to rescue the children, prompting retaliatory firing,” Kumar said.
Prefer HTon Google
A man, who allegedly shot his wife and two priests dead during a special puja at his house in Shambhupur village under the Ahraula police station area of Azamgarh district on Tuesday, was killed in an encounter in the early hours of Wednesday, police said. His nine-year-old son was also killed after allegedly being shot by Singh during a nearly seven-hour hostage standoff, they added.
Azamgarh SSP Anil Kumar said Arvind Singh, 42, had locked himself inside a room with his three children after the firing and refused to surrender despite repeated persuasion by police. “He opened fire at the police team when officers entered the room to rescue the children, prompting retaliatory firing,” Kumar said.
The incident began around 6pm when Singh returned home from the market and found the religious ritual underway. Police said Singh was allegedly heavily drunk at the time. The ritual had been going on for four days and had been organised by his family after concerns over his behaviour and heavy alcohol consumption. Family members allegedly believed he was under the influence of “evil spirits”. The claim about any mental health condition or supernatural influence has not been independently established.
Singh allegedly objected to the ritual and argued with his wife, Babita, 32. Police said he also demanded the Aadhaar cards of the priests present at the house. The argument escalated, following which Singh allegedly took out his licensed pistol and opened fire, killing Babita and two priests — Mahendra Pathak, 60, of Patakhouli village and Akhilesh Mishra, 55, of Chhitauna Bhattauli village.
Singh’s mother Samla Devi, 70, his three children and two other priests were also present at the house, police said. Priest Himanshu, who was present during the ritual and escaped by jumping over a wall, told investigators that Singh had earlier warned the priests not to return. “Singh abused the priests during the argument and Babita objected to his behaviour. Singh then shot his wife before opening fire at the priests,” Himanshu was quoted as saying by police.
After the killings, Singh allegedly took his three children into a room and locked himself inside with the firearm. Police personnel from around 10 stations reached the village, while senior officers tried to persuade him to surrender. SSP Anil Kumar, DIG Sunil Kumar Singh and Varanasi ADG Navin Arora were among the officers who attempted to negotiate with Singh, officials said. Relatives were also brought in to persuade him to surrender.
The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) was called in around 12.20am as the standoff continued. The Special Operations Group (SOG) was also deployed. Police said Singh at one point opened a window and asked the officers to leave, saying they should return the next morning. He allegedly continued to threaten to kill the children.
The standoff turned critical when police heard a gunshot from inside the room. ADG Arora said police had to act as three children were inside. Stun grenades and tear-gas grenades were used before the door was broken open, following which SSP Kumar entered the room with the SOG team.
Police said Singh fired five rounds at the police team after they entered the room, prompting “controlled fire”. Singh was critically injured and taken to hospital, where he died around 3.30am, the SSP said.
Officers found Shaurya, 9, seriously injured by a gunshot allegedly fired by his father. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later succumbed to injuries. Singh’s 10-year-old daughter suffered a minor injury near her elbow, while his six-month-old daughter was rescued safely, police said.
The bodies of Singh, Babita, Shaurya and the two priests were sent for post-mortem examination. Forensic teams examined the house and collected evidence to reconstruct the sequence of firing. Police said further investigation was underway.
