Police in Uttar Pradesh say that two Hindu monks were found murdered at a temple in Bulandshahr district on Tuesday morning. The incident came just days after pro-BJP representatives of Indian TV channels desperately tried to add a communal colour to the lynchings of two Hindu monks in Maharashtra’s Palghar district.
Two Hindu monks murdered in Bulandshahr have been identified as 55-year-old Jagdish and 45-year-old Sher Singh. According to a report by news agency PTI, both were attacked with a lathi (long wooden stick) at Paguana village’s Shiva temple in Anupshahr police station area. Police have arrested the killer.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a tirade against the Uttar Pradesh government as she wrote, “Today, two sadhus have been brutaly murdered as they slept inside a temple.” Priyanka said that the matter should be thoroughly investigated, adding that the monks’ murder must not be politicised.
अप्रैल के पहले 15 दिनों में ही उप्र में सौ लोगों की हत्या हो गई। तीन दिन पहले एटा में पचौरी परिवार के 5 लोगों के शव संदिग्ध परिस्थितियों में पाए गए। कोई नहीं जानता उनके साथ क्या हुआ।
आज बुलंदशहर में एक मंदिर में सो रहे दो साधुओं को बेरहमी से मौत के घाट उतार दिया गया।..
1/2
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 28, 2020
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered strict action in the case. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reportedly spoke to Adityanath on the phone, expressing concern over the killing. Curiously, Adityanath had made a similar phone call to Thackeray last week when two Hindu monks were murdered in Maharashtra.
According to Bulandshahr SSP Santosh Kumar Singh, the murder suspect has been identified as one Murari, also known as Raju, who was recently caught by two Hindu monks stealing a pair of tongs used by them. Raju allegedly killed both the monks using a sword under the influence of cannabis.
When two Hindu monks were lynched in Maharashtra, pro-BJP anchors such as Arnab Goswami had launched a tirade against the Congress demanding an apology from Sonia Gandhi. One wonders if he will show a similar outrage against Adityanath tonight in protest against the sadhus’ murder in Uttar Pradesh.