Badaun (Uttar Pradesh): A 75-year-old priest, Jai Singh Yadav, has been found murdered on the premises of a temple in Dhaknagla village in Badaun district.
Popularly known as ‘Sakhi Baba’, the priest had been serving the temple for the past 45 years and used to live in the guise of ‘Goddess Kali’, wearing sari and bangles.
Police said the accused, Ramveer Yadav, a local, was absconding and three police teams had been deployed to arrest him.
“The motive is still unclear,” said the police.
Sakhi Baba used to live alone in a thatched house on the temple premises.
According to reports, Baba performed daily prayers and took out a religious procession on Sunday morning, and then he went to his hut to take rest when Ramveer allegedly stabbed him to death.
Police said a few people saw the accused fleeing the spot, and then they found Baba lying dead inside his hut.
Senior Superintendent of Police Sankalp Sharma said, “Sakhi Baba was stabbed to death by a local, Ramveer Yadav, over some personal enmity. We have booked him under section 302 (murder)of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and he will be arrested soon. The exact reason behind the murder is still unclear. We have sent the body for autopsy and informed his relatives.”
IANS