He only wanted his children to live respected life: Family mourns sewadaar killed in temple assault
New Delhi (PTI): Living with his in-laws in Delhi and supporting his family on a pay of about Rs 5,000 from a temple, Yogendra Singh, though, had many hardships in life, but he never complained.
What kept Yogendra (35), a sewadaar at Kalkaji Temple, going was to make his son and daughter educated enough so that they could lead a better and respected life one day. On Friday night, that dream came to an end.
The sewadaar was allegedly beaten up by a group of men on Friday night after a quarrel over prasad turned violent. He was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.
Kaushal Singh, the victim's elder brother, who also helps at a temple, said he was outside for some work when the incident occurred. "I got a call late at night that Yogendra had been attacked. By the time I could reach the hospital, he was gone," Kaushal told PTI.
Yogendra is survived by his wife Jaya, son Krishna (8) and daughter Pari (6).
"He always said he only wanted his children to live an educated and respected life. Even though the job was not stable, as he was replaced every two months by someone else and paid so little, he was happy in the 'seva' he did for God and devotees. Now what will happen to his wife and kids? Their entire future has been shattered," Kaushal said, breaking down.
Recalling his father's death in 2017, he said that their mother has been living with each of her three sons in turns. "She is inconsolable now. My sister-in-law's entire world has turned upside down, and we don't know how to tell the children," he added.
According to the police, the quarrel broke out after some visitors demanded 'chunniprasad'.
When Singh refused, as it was over, the group allegedly dragged him outside and assaulted him with sticks, the police said, adding that the incident was captured on the CCTV camera.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said one of the accused, Atul Pandey (30), was caught on the spot by locals and handed over to the police. There were two others, Mohan alias Bhura (19) and Kuldeep Bidhuri (20), who were caught on Saturday.
As relatives wailed at his home, Kaushal's voice trembled, "This sort of injustice should not happen to anybody. He was a great man, always responsible for his family. Now the family is devastated; they have nothing left to look forward to anymore."
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BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
