Bulandshahr: Mutilated bodies of two sadhus found; one arrested
Days after two sadhus were lynched in Maharashtra's Palghar, a similar incident played out in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr. Two priests, who lived in a temple at Pagona village in the Anoopshahar area, were allegedly killed by an addict. Their mutilated bodies were found this morning and the accused, identified as Murari alias Raju, was arrested. He used a sword for the murders.
The deceased were identified as 55-year-old Jagdish alias Rangi Das and 45-year-old Sher Singh alias Sewa Das. A local said they managed the Shiva temple in the area and stayed within its premises. They had been living in the village for many years now. The deceased had an altercation with the accused two days ago, which possibly led to the double murders.
SSP Santosh Kumar said Murari and sadhus locked horns after the former stole forceps. "Under the influence of opium, he murdered the priests using a sword. Locals in the village had spotted him leaving with a sword in his hand this morning," Kumar added. The accused was traced 2 kilometer away from the crime spot. As he was taken away, some locals filmed him.
Videos from the incident showed a naked Murari being escorted to the police station. "He is not in a condition to divulge details. Most likely he was enraged over being admonished by priests for stealing the spatula," Kumar said. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the murders and directed the administration to take appropriate action against the accused.
Bulandshahr double murder: Prime suspect Murari alias Raju, almost naked and intoxicated, was apprehended 2 km away from the crime spot with the help of locals who had gathered in large numbers. According to police, he had dispute with murdered priests over stolen forceps. pic.twitter.com/x65XFMGePi
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) April 28, 2020
Not long ago, sadhus — Sushil Giri Maharaj (35) and Maharaj Kalpavrikshgiri (70) along with their driver Nilesh Telgane (35) — were lynched in Palghar while police did nothing to protect them. The three were bound for Surat to attend a funeral but took a detour through Gadchinchle village due to lockdown. Their deaths snowballed into a huge controversy and exposed the government's laxity.
