Nine arrested for beating ‘Sewadaar’ to death at Kalkaji Temple

Police have arrested nine men for their involvement in the brutal killing of a 35-year-old Sewadaar at Kalkaji Temple in southeast Delhi on Friday night, officials said on Monday.

The arrested assailants have been identified as Kuldeep Bidhuri (20), Mohan Bidhuri (19), Atul Pandey (30), Nitin Pandey (27), Sandeep Bidhuri (33), Monu Kangar (31), Rohit Bidhuri (24), Anil (46), and Babu (40).

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The incident came to light on Saturday, when Yogendra Singh, a native of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh who had been serving at the temple for the past 14–15 years, was beaten to death following an altercation over prasad.

After the scuffle, Singh was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.

“At around 9:30 pm on Friday, a call was made to the police control room, alerting us about the row at the temple,” said Hemant Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner of Police.

He added, “The argument started after the accused, who were visiting the temple, demanded ‘chunni prasad’ from Singh.”

The situation escalated when the group allegedly attacked Singh with fists, sticks, and iron rods, resulting in his death, Tiwari said.

Raju, another Sewadaar at the temple, recalled, “Around 9 pm, they took him from the Dharamshala. There were 10–15 people carrying iron rods and sticks. They beat him to death.”

“The group was demanding prasad, and Yogendra asked them to wait for a few minutes. Instead, they began threatening him. Whenever they came to the temple, they behaved aggressively and expected us to give them whatever they wanted,” he added.

Based on the information, a case under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (joint liability) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at the Kalkaji police station.

Police said one of the accused, Atul Pandey (30), a resident of Dakshinpuri, was caught on the spot by locals and handed over to the police.

“The investigation is ongoing to identify and apprehend any other individuals involved in the case,” DCP Tiwari said.