His wife Babita Singh and the two priests, Mahendra Pathak and Akhilesh Mishra, were killed in the firing. Lucknow: A five-day religious ritual at a house in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh turned into a shooting on Tuesday (September 22) evening after police said Arvind Singh opened fire during an argument with two priests.
The Hindustan Times reported that the family had also been worried about his drinking and behaviour. The Indian Express reported that the elder daughter was present during the incident and later gave a description of the shooting to people around her. Singh then locked himself inside a room with his three children and refused repeated appeals to surrender. The standoff lasted nearly seven hours. A gunshot from inside the room finally prompted the police to break open the door. The man was shot in the retaliatory firing and later died in hospital. His son also died. The two other children were rescued. The incident took place in Shambhupur village under the Ahraula police station area. The police operation involved a team of senior officers, the Special Operations Group and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) commandos. The ritual had been organised by his family and was in its fourth day. The claim about any supernatural influence has not been independently established. Singh allegedly went in, took out his licensed revolver and opened fire. After the firing, Singh took his three children into a room and locked the door from inside. The police surrounded the house and tried to persuade him to surrender. The police are expected to examine her description as part of the investigation.
Because relatives had noticed changes in Singh’s behaviour, the police said the family had arranged the puja. Singh returned home from the market around 6 pm while the religious ceremony was underway, according to the police. The surviving children include a 10-year-old girl and a younger daughter.
Officers found the accused’s son injured by a bullet and said he then opened fire at the police team. Some family members told investigators they believed he was under the influence of an evil spirit. Quoting relatives, The Indian Express said the priests had begun recording the confrontation on their mobile phones. His wife was also shot when she intervened, the police and relatives said.
