A grim and shocking incident has sent shockwaves through the Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, where two Hindu ascetics were found dead inside a local temple compound under deeply suspicious circumstances. The perpetrators had placed the bodies onto wooden pyres and set them alight inside the sacred premises, triggering panic throughout the surrounding area. Alarmed by dense smoke rising into the morning sky from the shrine, villagers rushed to the scene only to encounter a horrifying sight. The body of one monk was still burning in flames, while the second monk had already been reduced to a skeletal state. The two corpses lay roughly 10 metres apart from each other.
The Horrific Discovery and Villagers' Rescue Effort
The tragedy took place in Sutha village, situated under the jurisdiction of the Khudaganj police station. The shrine, known as the Bhole Baba temple, is located roughly one kilometre away from the village settlement. At around 7 am on Thursday morning, local residents noticed thick smoke billowing from the temple grounds. Fearing that something was amiss, several villagers ran toward the temple. Upon entering the compound, they found the two bodies burning. Villagers immediately scrambled to douse the flames using available water sources, but both monks were already dead before the fire could be extinguished. The manner of burning suggested that the killers set the bodies on fire in a deliberate bid to destroy physical evidence and thwart identification.
Background of the Victims and the Sacred Site
The two ascetics living and performing religious rituals at the shrine were identified as 70-year-old Gopal Das and his 60-year-old disciple, Baba Bihari Das. According to local residents, Gopal Das was originally from the Azizganj locality and was well known as a religious storyteller. He had made the Bhole Baba temple his permanent residence for nearly 20 years. In contrast, Bihari Das was a native resident of Sutha village itself. He was unmarried and was the second of five brothers. Bihari Das had dedicated approximately 10 years to temple service, originally staying at the village's Thakur Ji temple. Just one month prior to the incident, Bihari Das became a formal disciple of Gopal Das, after which the two began residing together at the Bhole Baba shrine.
Property Dispute Allegations and Detention of Nephew
A formal complaint was submitted to the police by Shivkumar Singh, the patron of the temple. In his complaint, Singh accused a 35-year-old local resident named Sumit Singh of setting the temple on fire and committing the crime with the intention of seizing control of the temple property. Notably, the accused Sumit Singh is the biological nephew of the deceased ascetic Bihari Das. Sumit is married; his family includes his wife Neelam and 10-year-old twin children, a son and a daughter. Preliminary police inquiries revealed that the accused suffers from mental illness and is currently undergoing medical treatment for his condition.
Forensic Gathering and Police Investigation
Following an alert from the villagers, police teams promptly arrived at the shrine to secure the area. An FSL forensic team was deployed to inspect the crime scene, gather scientific evidence, and collect biological samples. Authorities are also reviewing nearby CCTV footage to track any suspicious movements around the temple during the early morning hours. Police have taken the accused Sumit Singh into custody and are actively interrogating him regarding his actions and motives.
Autopsy Awaited to Determine Cause of Death
Local villagers have offered varying perspectives and differing accounts regarding the circumstances leading up to the tragedy. Police stated that an official case has been registered based on the temple patron's written complaint. Both bodies were sent for post-mortem examinations to ascertain the precise cause and timeline of death. Law enforcement officials emphasized that whether the monks were killed before being set on fire, or perished directly from the blaze, will be conclusively established once the autopsy report is delivered and the comprehensive investigation concludes.
