A 86-year-old Mahant was found murdered at his ashram situated on the Rupnagar-Nurpur Bedi road near here on Sunday.
Police said Mahant Yogeshwar’s body was found when one of his disciples reached the dera in the morning. He found the door of Mahant’s room broken and his decomposed body lying on the floor.
Kathgarh station house officer (SHO) Parminder Singh said prima facie, the Mahant seemed to have been murdered a week ago.
The police sent the body of the deceased to the local civil hospital for postmortem and started investigations.
The SHO said a case under Section 460 (trespass or house-breaking by night causing death or grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against unidentified persons.
Mahant Yogeshwar was staying in the dera for the past four decades, the police said.