Robbers murder chief priest at Bhiwani temple

: The chief priest of Bhiwani’s Hanumat Dham temple, Mahant Somveer Giri, was killed and four others were injured when unidentified robbers trespassed and assaulted them with iron rods and sticks at the ashram on the premises about 4am on Monday. They looted ₹29,000 and other valuables from the temple.

A priest sleeping in another room managed to run out of the temple and reached the local police post. However, by the time the police reached the spot, the assailants had fled. “We do not know the number of assailants involved in the crime at the temple,” a police official said.

The injured were rushed to the Bhiwani civil hospital, where Somveer Giri died during treatment.

Two of the injured have been referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak, where their condition is stable.

“They just barged in and started thrashing whomever they saw. We were helpless as they were carrying many kinds of weapons,” said Jitendra Giri, another priest at the temple.

Bhiwani SP Gangaram Punia said, “A case has been registered under sections 302 (murder) and 390 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code against unidentified persons. Teams have been formed to arrest the assailants.”

INJURE FOUR OTHERS AND DECAMP WITH ₹29,000 AND OTHER VALUABLES