Sewadar Beaten to Death at Kalkaji Temple Over Prasad, One Arrested

A 35-year-old sewadar at the Kalkaji Temple in southeast Delhi was beaten to death late Friday after a dispute over chunni prasad, police said, prompting the arrest of one man and a search for additional suspects. The police control room received a call about a quarrel inside the temple at about 9:30 pm on August 29, and officers who reached the scene found the sewadar grievously injured, officials said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Hemant Tiwari said the altercation began when a group of visitors demanded chunni prasad, a combination of a sacred headscarf and food offering, from the sewadar, identified by police as Yogendra Singh, a native of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh. According to the DCP, the group first struck Singh with blows from their fists and then beat him with sticks. He was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he died during treatment.

A fellow temple worker, who identified himself as Raju, told reporters that the men pulled Singh from the dharamshala and attacked him. "What I know is, around 9 pm, they took him from the dharamshala. There were 10 to 15 people. They had iron rods and sticks, and they beat him to death," he said. Raju also said the group had been...