A 24-year-old man died after he was allegedly lynched by three men, including a priest, as he accidentally broke an idol while cleaning it in Gurgaon’s Khandsa village on Wednesday, reported The Indian Express.
The body of the man, Dinesh, a resident of Nepal, was found outside the Bani Wala temple on Thursday.
The police said that Dinesh was hired a few days ago to clean the temple. On Wednesday, he accidentally broke two fingers of an idol, they said. The accused men spotted the damage.
“Ajit called Premjeet and Sonu who work at a gaushala [cow shelter],” Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Preet Pal told The Indian Express. “Dinesh was tied to a banyan tree and the accused thrashed him with sticks, rods and even an axe. He succumbed to injuries.”
Ajit Singh, 57, is the head priest while his two associates have been identified as Premjeet Balhara, 32, and Sonu, 27. All three have been arrested,
Dinesh was taken to a hospital after the assault but was declared dead. Based on the complaint of a resident who tried to intervene, the police arrested the accused men between Thursday and Friday.
“The main accused is the priest as he attacked the man and called his associates,” Pal said. “He is the caretaker of the temple and lives there. His two associates are criminals out on bail… Balhara was earlier held in a rape case while Sonu was caught in an attempt to murder case.”
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