Religious frenzy in MP over self-immolation

A 75-year-old priest’s alleged Agni Samadhi (self-immolation due to religious reasons) triggered a Sati-like religious frenzy in Ruariya village, 25 km from Morena district headquarters in north Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday morning.

A 75-year-old priest’s alleged Agni Samadhi (self-immolation due to religious reasons) triggered a Sati-like religious frenzy in Ruariya village, 25 km from Morena district headquarters in north Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday morning.

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However, Morena SP Santosh Kumar Singh said the death might be accidental due to either asphyxia or sudden cardiac arrest.

“The clothes of Ram Avtar Das Gurjar, a priest at the local Hanuman temple, possibly caught fire from a candle kept nearby. He had a cardiac arrest on Tuesday night. The viscera taken out by the forensic team has been sent to laboratory for further investigation,” Singh told Hindustan Times.