In a tragic incident in Bihar’s Vaishali district a 70-year-old, pujari was lynched to death by miscreants. The attack was allegedly planned following Shiv Bhajans in the temple. The victim has been identified as Shiv Narayan Giri.
The attackers raged over the playing of Shiv Bhajan in the temple consecutively for two Shravan Mondays. As many as four unidentified miscreants attacked the Pujani and beat him to death.
According to reports, Shiv Narayan Giri was living in the temple premises in Astpur Satpura village under Bhagwanpur police station in the district. On Monday (July 17), a group of devotees reached the temple to offer jal (water) to Shivling. They started playing bhajans over the loudspeaker to celebrate the second Monday of Shravan or Savan Maas (month). The Monday is dedicated to Bhagwan Shiv, and so the Mondays in the month of Shravan are often considered the holiest days, especially by Shiv devotees.
The youths living in the neighbourhood took offence at this and demanded the devotees turn off the music. The devotees did turn down the music but the youth’s forced them to turn it off altogether. This led to an altercation between them.
Following this, four youths started assaulting Vikas Kumar, the nephew of Shiv Narayan Giri. Seeing this, the pujari rushed to rescue his nephew but the miscreants in turn started brutally beating up the 70-year-old.
They kept attacking the aged man until he collapsed and fell on the floor. The attackers thrashed him so brutally that the pujari died on the spot. The locals gathered but by then, the miscreants had fled the scene.
The deceased was rushed to the hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead. Later, the body was taken to the Hajipur Sadar Hospital for post-mortem. The police registered a case and started probing the matter.
Vikas Kumar, the nephew saving whom, Giri died told media, “On the second Monday of the Sawan month, many devotees had assembled at the temple to offer water (Jal) on the Shivling. Among them, some devotees started playing Bhajans in the temple. Some people from the village came and demanded that the music be stopped. I told them that we would lower the volume but they disagreed and insisted that the music should be stopped, When I objected, they beat me,”
“As they were assaulting me, my uncle rushed to rescue me. The miscreants beat him up as well and he collapsed on the road. We placed him on the bed and called a doctor who declared him dead. We knew the accused and identified them,” added Kumar.
An eyewitness Raushan Kumar also said that four people punched the priest in his stomach following which he collapsed. “The body has been taken to Sadar Hospital Hajipur for post-mortem,” Raushan said.
In a similar incident in August 2022, a pujari of a Ram Janaki temple was brutally murdered in Bettiah, Bihar. The murderers severed his head and placed it in the nearby Pipra Kali temple sending shock waves to the entire city. The incident is said to have taken place at Ram Janaki temple in Bakulhar village which falls under the Gopalpur police station area of Chanpatia block, Bettiah.
The pujari used to sleep in the temple at night, and like every day, he slept on Tuesday also after completing daily rituals and closing all doors and gates. However, the miscreants entered the temple by calling a wall at night and killing him.
According to the reports, the accused separated the head of the priest and carried it to the Pipra Kali temple looked after by the Jaitiya Panchayat. The Kali temple is around 2 km away from the Ram Janaki temple.
