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Two Shahjahanpur ascetics killed, burnt inside Shiva temple
Two ascetics were allegedly murdered and burned at a Shiva temple in Shahjahanpur. A local man is detained for wanting control over the temple land.
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Two ascetics were allegedly murdered and their bodies set on fire inside a Shiva temple in Shahjahanpur district. Police detained a local man for questioning following allegations that he wanted the two men to leave the temple and sought exclusive control over the land around the shrine, officials said on Thursday.
The incident took place at a Shiva temple in Sutha village under Khudaganj police station, around 70 km from the district headquarters. Villagers noticed smoke rising from the temple at around 7 am on Thursday and rushed to the spot. They found the body of one ascetic still burning, while the other had been reduced to a skeleton.
The deceased were identified as Gopal Das, 70, and Bihari Das, 60. Both had been living in the temple.
According to villagers, Gopal Das, a resident of Azizganj locality, was a storyteller and had been living at the temple for nearly 20 years. Bihari Das, a resident of Sutha village, had earlier lived at the local Thakur Ji temple. Around a month ago, he became Gopal Das’s disciple and subsequently began staying with him in the Shiva temple.
Gopal Das’s elder brother, Ramdulare, said his brother was the second among four siblings. His other brothers, Ramkishore and Ramniwas, also live in Azizganj, around 15 km from the temple.
Pradeep Singh, nephew of Bihari Das, alleged that a local man, Sumeet, was responsible for the murders. He claimed that Sumeet had attacked the two ascetics several times in the past.
Dragpal, who used to clean the temple, said he reached the premises around 7 am on Thursday and found the bodies burning.
“I had not met them at night. I had last seen them around 3 pm on Wednesday, after which I went home,” he said.
Villagers alleged that Sumeet had been released from jail around a month ago and wanted the ascetics to leave the temple so that he could take control of the land around it. They claimed the two ascetics had opposed his attempts.
Temple caretaker Shiv Kumar Singh submitted a complaint in connection with the incident.
Superintendent of police (rural) Diksha Bhavre said police received information through the police response vehicle about two ascetics being burnt at the temple.
“When Khudaganj police reached the spot, the bodies were found severely burnt. The suspect, Sumeet, has been detained and is being questioned,” she said.
SSP Saurabh Dixit said that for the past few days, Sumeet had been spending time and staying at the shrine with the two ascetics.
“Villagers initially confirmed that Sumeet had, on one occasion, told the two ascetics, ‘Both of you should leave this place. I am going to stay here now. I will have exclusive control over this place,’” Dixit said.
Prima facie, the police suspect that the incident occurred late on Wednesday night over the dispute.
Police and forensic teams are collecting physical evidence from the scene. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, while Sumeet has been taken into custody and is being questioned.
