Temple sewadar beaten to death over prasad, 3 nabbed

A sewadar at Kalkaji Temple in South Delhi was allegedly beaten to death following a dispute over prasad on Friday evening, the police said.

The victim, identified as Yogendra Singh (35), a resident of Fattepur, Hardoi district in Uttar Pradesh, had been serving at the temple for the past 15 years.

According to officials, a PCR call regarding a quarrel at the temple was received at 9:30 pm on Friday. After getting information, police teams reached the spot. They came to know that the argument ensued after a group of men demanded chunni prasad from the sewadar. The argument turned violent as the group allegedly beat him with sticks and fist blows.

The victim was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

The police have registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS. One of the accused, Atul Pandey (30) a native of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, and currently residing in Dakshinpuri, Delhi, was apprehended on the spot by locals and handed over to the police.

The police said two more accused had been apprehended. They had been identified as Mohan Bhura (19), a resident of 1134 Churiya Mohalla, Tughlaqabad, Delhi, and Kuldeep Bidhuri (20), a resident of 1135 Churiya Mohalla, Tughlaqabad, Delhi. Efforts were underway to identify and arrest the remaining accused, if any, they said.

The police said the incident took place after the accused completed their darshan.

The body has been sent for postmortem examination. Further investigation was on in the case. The authorities said teams were working to trace any other suspects involved in the assault.