Kalkaji temple murder: 9 held, more arrests likely
New Delhi (PTI): Nine people have been arrested so far in connection with the brutal killing of a 35-year-old sevadar at the Kalkaji temple here, police said on Monday.
The victim, Yogendra Singh, was beaten to death on Friday night following an argument with the accused over the distribution of 'prasad'.
Singh, who was working at the temple for nearly 15 years, was punched and beaten with sticks by the accused after he could not give them 'chunni prasad' as it was finished for the day.
Nine people, including prime accused Atul Pandey who was caught on the spot by locals, have been arrested so far. The other eight are Kuldeep Bidhuri (20), Mohan Bidhuri alias Bhura (19), Nitin Pandey (27), Sandeep Bidhuri (33), Monu Kangar (31), Rohit Bidhuri (24), Anil Pandey (46) and Babu (40), Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said.
Anil, the father of Nitin, and Babu have been arrested for harbouring the attackers and criminal conspiracy.
"Teams are scanning CCTV footage, analysing technical evidence and questioning several people to identify and arrest the remaining suspects. We will arrest all those involved in the assault soon. No one will be spared," the DCP said.
Another senior officer said the investigation has also revealed a pattern of local dominance, as several of the accused hail from Tughlaqabad village and are related to one another.
Police are looking into their criminal antecedents and are also probing whether others helped them escape after the incident, the officer said.
"More arrests are expected to be made in the case, which is being pursued on priority," the officer said.
Singh's younger brother Kaushal has demanded strict punishment for all the culprits and sought financial assistance for his family. Singh left behind a six-year-old daughter who suffers from a disability that requires expensive medical care.
"Yogendra worked tirelessly to support his family. We cannot imagine why such cruelty was inflicted on him. We want the strictest punishment so that such crimes never happen again," Kaushal had said.
Kalkaji temple staff and other sevadars have demanded proper security arrangements after the incident.
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KKR defeat LSG via Super Over
Lucknow (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders edged Lucknow Super Giants via Super Overs in a battle between two bottom-placed teams in the IPL, here on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 156, LSG suffered a batting collapse and managed to tie the contest and take it to Super Over with No. 9 Mohammed Shami striking a last-ball six against a wayward Kartik Tyagi, who leaked 16 runs in the final over.
But Sunil Narine bowled a stunning Super Over conceding just one run and taking two wickets to give KKR an easy target.
Rinku Singh then finished the chase with a boundary off first ball from Prince Yadav.
Earlier the KKR were in deep trouble with 93/7 in 15 overs but Rinku smashed a sensational 83 not out from 51 balls including four sixes in a row in the final over to lift them to 155/7.
Cameron Green (34) was the only other batter to reach double-digit scores as KKR suffered a familiar batting meltdown with Mohsin taking his maiden fifer.
In reply, LSG continued their dismal show with the bat to succumb to their fifth loss in a row.
Brief Scores:
Kolkata Knight Riders 155/7; 20 overs (Rinku Singh 83 not out, Cameron Green 34; Mohsin Khan 5/23). Lucknow Super Giants 155/8; 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 42). KKR won via Super Over.
