In a chilling incident from Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district, two elderly temple ascetics were brutally murdered and their bodies set on fire inside a shrine complex. The horrific crime took place in Sutha village under the jurisdiction of the Khudaganj police station late Wednesday night. Authorities have detained a prime suspect, a local resident recently released on bail, who allegedly sought to forcibly take over the temple and its surrounding property.
Horrific Scene Uncovered by Villagers
The incident came to light on Thursday morning around 7:00 AM when local residents noticed heavy smoke rising from the Shiva temple on the western edge of Sutha village. Upon rushing to the shrine, villagers discovered a gruesome scene: two elderly ascetics had been killed, and their bodies were placed on wooden pyres and set ablaze inside the premises to destroy evidence.
The deceased were identified as:
Gopal Das (70): A long-time resident and caretaker who had managed the shrine for over two decades.
Bihari Das / Bade Das (60): A disciple of Gopal Das who had been residing at the shrine for around 10 years. Reports noted that he was visually impaired or physically disabled.
Police officers, along with forensic experts and sniffer dogs, arrived promptly at the site to secure the area, collect physical evidence, and send the charred remains for post-mortem analysis.
Motive and Suspect Detained
Police swiftly registered a murder case and took the prime suspect, identified as Sumit Singh, into custody. Sumit, a local village youth, had recently been released on bail in August from a prior criminal case.
According to Shahjahanpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Saurabh Dixit and local village patrons, Sumit had frequently visited the temple following his release. He allegedly began pressuring the two ascetics to leave so he could assume full control over the shrine and its adjoining land, which was registered under Gopal Das's name.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Sumit attacked both ascetics with a heavy object during the night before using an inflammable substance and logs to set their bodies on fire. Police revealed that during initial interrogation, the suspect confessed to committing the crime to clear his path to taking over the shrine.
Current Situation and Investigation
To prevent potential civil unrest, heavy police deployment was stationed across Sutha village. Senior police officials stated that the investigation remains ongoing, and strict legal action under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) is being taken against the accused as forensic reports arrive.
