For almost 15 years, Yogendra Singh, served as a Sevadaar (volunteer) in the famous Kalkaji Temple in the national Capital and his of responsibilities included sharing the pious Prasad (offering) of the Goddess to thousands of visitors thronging the temple every-day. The offerings were in many forms like sweets, fruits, coconuts and the sacred Chunni (scarf), which the devotees offered as part of their obeisance tothe deity.
On Friday, he was bludgeoned to death by worshipers in front of the deity. Singh (35) was allegedly beaten to death to death in public by group of worshipers over the scarf offering. Police said three arrests had been made related to the incident. While Atul Pandey (30), a resident of Dakshinpuri and native of Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, was caught on the spot by the locals and handed over to the police, two other accused, identified as Mohan alias Bhura (19) and Kuldeep Bidhuri (20), both residents of Tughlaqabad, have been arrested on Saturday. Mohan and Kuldeep are cousins, officials noted.
According to police, the victim, Singh, a resident of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, had been serving at the temple for the past 15 years. Around 9.30 pm, a group of men visited the temple and demanded offerings from him. When Singh refused, the argument escalated into a violent assault.
According to police, a call was made to the police control room about the row at around 9.30 pm on Friday. “The altercation turned violent as the group allegedly dealt blows to Singh
and beat him up with sticks.” DCP (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari, said.
Singh, who had been serving at the Kalkaji temple for almost 15 years, was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment, an officer said. Officials noted that CCTV footage of the incident captures the men brutally attacking Singh with sticks in full public view.
“ It is truly heartbreaking. The temple committee and the pujari community demand justice and want the accused arrested at the earliest.” Siddharth Bhardwaj, general secretary of the Kalkaji temple said.
He highlighted that the initial information suggested that the accused men were creating a nuisance and not following the temple rules. They had also asked for offerings, which Singh couldn’t give because it was over.
“Singh must have asked them to adhere to the rules, which angered them and led to this heinous act. The volunteers here have been serving the temple for generations, tying the sacred thread for devotees,” Bhardwaj said.
Recalling the incident, Raju, another volunteer at the temple, said, “He was sitting in his dharamshala when 10 to 15 men dragged him outside and beat him to death. He had been serving here for the last 10 to 15 years. All the offerings made to the deity are distributed among devotees. When these men asked him for offerings, there was none left, so he had to refuse them.”
He further alleged that the attackers took advantage of the fact that other volunteers had gone inside to perform pooja. “Finding him alone, they pounced on him and beat him to death,” Raju claimed.
A case has been registered at the Kalkaji Police Station under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (joint liability), DCP Tiwari said. Sharing details of another accused, Atul Pandey (30), a resident of Dakshinpuri, the DCP added that he was caught on the spot by the locals and handed over to the police. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to identify and nab the remaining accused in the murder of Yogendra Singh.
Meanwhile Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly and Kalkaji MLA, Atishi, on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, citing the killing in the Kalkaji temple and claimed the national Capital has turned into the “capital of crime, extortion and gang wars” under the BJP-led Government. Echoing similar sentiments, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal called out the BJP-led Delhi Government over recent safety issues in the national Capital.