Investigators are examining CCTV footage, questioning monastery staff and analysing forensic evidence after the killing of a prominent religious leader in Rajasthan’s Kota district.
Mahant Devanand Maharaj, a prominent religious leader from Chandresal village in Kota district, was stabbed to death inside his monastery on Friday night. | IANS
The murder of a well-known seer inside a monastery in Rajasthan’s Kota district has left residents of Chandresal village stunned and prompted a major police investigation.
Mahant Devanand Maharaj, who headed the monastery in the village under the Borkheda police station area, was allegedly stabbed to death late on Friday night. The killing has shocked devotees and locals, many of whom described him as a soft-spoken religious figure with no known personal disputes.
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The incident has raised several questions, not least because the attack took place inside the monastery itself. What led to the murder remains unclear. Investigators are examining different angles, from personal rivalries and property disputes linked to the monastery to the possibility that the assailants were trying to commit a robbery.
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According to preliminary investigations, Devanand Maharaj was resting in his room when unidentified assailants entered the premises and attacked him with sharp-edged weapons. His cries reportedly alerted sevadars and nearby villagers, forcing the assailants to flee before they could be caught.
Police suspect that another resident Mahant was confined to his room before the attack was carried out. By the time sevadars and villagers reached Devanand Maharaj’s room, they found him critically injured and lying in a pool of blood.
He was rushed to Maharao Bhim Singh Hospital in Kota, where doctors declared him dead. Medical officials said the seer succumbed to excessive blood loss caused by multiple stab wounds.
The body has been kept in the hospital mortuary and will undergo a post-mortem examination.
With no immediate clues about the attackers, police have deployed forensic experts and a dog squad at the crime scene. The Forensic Science Laboratory team collected blood samples, fingerprints and other material evidence from the room where the attack took place.
Investigators have also begun questioning sevadars, villagers and individuals who had recently visited the monastery.
CCTV footage from roads connecting Chandresal village and nearby areas is being examined in an effort to track suspicious movements around the time of the crime.
The murder has triggered anger among local residents and Hindu organisations, many of whom have demanded swift arrests in the case.
Additional police personnel have been deployed in Chandresal village and outside the mortuary at MBS Hospital as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.
Senior police officials have appealed for calm and assured residents that all possible angles are being investigated.
“Police and FSL teams are investigating every angle of the murder at the scene. Based on the evidence collected from the crime spot, efforts are underway to identify and trace the accused,” Kota ASP Suman Chand said.
Police said no conclusions regarding the motive can be drawn until the perpetrators are identified and taken into custody.
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