Temple sewadaar killed after quarrel in Kalkaji; one arrested

A 35-year-old sewadaar in southeast Delhi’s Kalkaji Temple has been allegedly beaten to death following a quarrel with some people, and one of them has been nabbed, police said on Saturday.

According to officials, a call was made to the police control room about the row at the temple around 9.30 pm on Friday.

Police said the argument ensued after the accused, who were visiting the temple, demanded ‘chunniprasad’—a combination of sacred headscarf and religious offering of food—from the sewadaar, Yogendra Singh, a native of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh.

The altercation turned violent as the group dealt fist blows to Singh and beat him up with sticks, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said.

Singh, who had been serving at the Kalkaji Temple for the past 14 to 15 years, was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he succumbed to injuries during treatment, an officer said.

A case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (joint liability) has been registered at Kalkaji police station, the officer said.

“One of the accused, identified as Atul Pandey (30), a resident of Dakshinpuri, was caught on the spot by the locals and handed over to the police,” he added.

Police said efforts are underway to identify and nab the remaining accused.