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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Karnataka School Edu Dept prohibits children from being made to dance to obscene songs
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka School Education Department has issued a circular strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs in educational and cultural programmes.
It stated that such dances would negatively impact students' mental health and moral values. It will create indiscipline and harm the sanctity of education.
"All the Deputy Directors (Administration) of the state's School Education Department have been asked to take strict measures to prevent children or students from dancing to obscene songs in all government, aided and unaided schools in the state," the office of the commissioner of the School Education Department said in a recent circular.
"If it is found that children are being made to dance to obscene songs, appropriate action will be taken against the headmaster or management of such school," it added.
The department also listed certain measures in this regard, which include: strictly prohibiting children from being made to dance to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes; selecting songs that are inspiring, positive, instilling national pride in children and reflecting the greatness, dignity, values, culture, and morality of the state.
Stating that the school headmaster and management are responsible for selecting songs and dances for cultural programmes, it said, they should also ensure that students wear decent clothes in dance or cultural programmes.
