The case against four people has been registered, said Gonda Police Superintendent Shailesh Pandey.
Highlight
- Samrat Das serves at the Ram Janki temple in the Gonda district
- The temple has around 100 bighas of prime land along the Manorama River.
- The local land mafia has reportedly been trying to seize the land.
Lucknow:
A priest in Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, about 117 km from the state capital Lucknow, is reportedly in critical condition after unknown men shot him last night, allegedly over land disputes.
Samrat Das, who serves at the Ram Janki temple in the district, was shot at the temple premises late at night, authorities said. The priest, who appears to be critical, has been referred to a Lucknow hospital.
The Ram Janki temple, which is about 25 kilometers from the city of Gonda, has about 100 bighas of earth along the banks of the Manorama River, which is very expensive.
Some local land mafias have reportedly been trying to seize the best land, after which several cases were brought in the local court.
“A priest of a temple in a village in Itia Thok, Gonda was shot last night. He was admitted to a hospital. The case against four people has been registered. He had a land dispute with the defendant. We are investigating the matter,” he added . Shailesh Kumar Pandey, Gonda police superintendent, was quoted by the ANI news agency.
This is the second reported case of attack on a priest on the temple ground.
On Thursday, a priest in Rajasthan died of burns after a group of men attacked him over a dispute over land. The Rajasthan priest was cremated only on Saturday after his family relented and allowed the last rites to be performed.
The police have also arrested two people in connection with the crime and three others have been named in the first informative report.
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