Drunk man shoots two priests, wife dead over ‘puja’ argument in UP's Azamgarh

Three persons, including a woman and two priests, were killed after the woman’s husband, Arvind Singh, allegedly opened fire following an argument during a puja at their house in Shambhupur village under the Aharoula police station area of Azamgarh district on Tuesday evening, police said.

Azamgarh SSP Anil Kumar said the initial probe revealed that Singh’s family members, including his wife Babita, had organised the puja after observing that he was allegedly behaving abnormally and consuming alcohol heavily. “They believed he was under the influence of a ghost and organised the puja to address the problem. Singh was opposed to the ritual,” the SSP said. When Singh returned home in the evening and saw the puja being performed, he lost his temper and argued with his wife, Kumar said, adding that he opened fire, killing Babita and two priests.

According to police, Babita and four priests were present at the house. Singh had returned from the market around 6pm and questioned the priests about the ritual. An argument broke out after he allegedly demanded their Aadhaar cards.

Police said Singh allegedly took out a licensed pistol kept in the house and opened fire, killing Babita and two priests — Mahendra Pathak of Patkhauli village and Akhilesh Mishra of Chhitauna Bhatauli village. The other priests fled the house.

A police officer said Singh was allegedly heavily drunk at the time and had locked himself inside a room of the house with his two children. Senior police officers, including DIG Sunil Kumar, SSP Anil Kumar and SP RA Chirag Jain, along with a heavy police force, reached the spot and were trying to rescue the children.