Tension prevailed in part of Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday after two sadhus were found murdered in a temple. One more was found seriously injured.
The sadhus were “overpowered” and attacked with sharp objects by unidentified persons on the intervening night of August 14 and 15, Inspector-General (Kanpur Range) Alok Singh said. They were found dead at the Bhayanak Nath temple in Kundarkot village, with their limbs stretched over the cots and tied with clothes.
The dead were identified as Lajja Ram Yadav and Harbhajan, the police said. Ram Sharan was critically injured and referred to a hospital at Saifai in Etawah.
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Residents blocked roads and indulged in arson and stone-throwing. The police resorted to a baton charge, lobbed tear-gas shells and reportedly fired in the air to disperse the mob. The Provincial Armed Constabulary was deployed in the area.
The bodies were sent for post-mortem, the Auraiya police said in a statement.
“The reason for the murders will be known only after investigation,” Mr. Singh said. Station officer Akhilesh Mishra and constable Islam were suspended.
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Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked the Director-General of Police and the Home Secretary to take “strict action” against those behind the murders within 48 hours, a government spokesperson said. He also announced ₹5 lakh each in compensation to the relatives of the dead and ₹1 lakh to the kin of the injured.