A ritual to ‘cure’ farmer ends in 4 murders and an encounter in UP

Police outside the house in Shambhupur village. (Special Arrangement)

A religious ritual meant to rid a 45-year-old farmer of what his family believed was spirit possession turned deadly Tuesday when he allegedly shot dead his wife and two priests at their home in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh.

Police said Arvind Singh then took his licensed revolver and locked himself inside a room with his three children.

For nearly seven hours, police tried to persuade him to surrender.

Then they heard a gunshot from inside.

Police broke open the door and rushed in. Inside, they found Arvind’s 9-year-old son seriously injured, allegedly shot by his father.

Arvind allegedly opened fire at the police team, which retaliated, injuring him. Both Arvind and his son were taken to hospital, where doctors declared them dead on arrival.

Arvind’s other two children were safely rescued.

What happened in Azamgarh

The incident took place in Shambhupur village, where the family was holding a five-day religious ritual. Tuesday was the fourth day of the ceremony.

According to police, relatives told them Arvind had a history of mental health issues and was undergoing treatment. The family had attributed his condition to what they described as spirit possession and had arranged the ritual in the hope of improving his condition.

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Family members said Arvind became agitated during the ceremony and began arguing with his wife and the two priests, Mahendra Pathak, 42, and Akhilesh Mishra, 55.

Arvind allegedly abused the priests and called them frauds, while also questioning their identities. When the priests objected, the argument escalated.

He allegedly assaulted his wife, Babita Singh, 35. The priests then began recording the confrontation on their mobile phones, according to relatives.

That was when Arvind allegedly took out his licensed revolver, kept inside the house, and opened fire.

Babita was shot first, followed by Pathak and Mishra.

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The three were taken to hospital, where they were declared dead.

By the time police arrived, Arvind had locked himself inside a room with his children.

SSP, Azamgarh, Anil Kumar said police surrounded the house and attempted to persuade him to open the door, even enlisting the help of his relatives.

He refused, police said, and continued to threaten to shoot the children.