Azamgarh, Sep 23
A man accused of shooting his wife and two priests before taking his three children hostage at a house in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh was killed in a police encounter after a prolonged standoff, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Arvind Singh, was also accused of firing at one of his children during the confrontation. The boy, who sustained a gunshot injury, was taken to a hospital along with Arvind. Both succumbed to their injuries during treatment, police said.
The incident began on Tuesday evening when Arvind returned to his residence at around 6 p.m. and found his wife, Babita Singh, 32, participating in a religious ritual along with two priests, Mahendra Pathak, 60, and Akhilesh Mishra, 50.
According to police, an argument broke out after Arvind objected to the ritual. He allegedly took out his licensed firearm and fired at his wife before shooting the two priests. He subsequently took his three children into a room and locked himself inside the premises.
Police teams reached the location and attempted to persuade Arvind to surrender. However, he allegedly refused to leave the house and asked the police to wait until the following morning.
Naveen Arora, Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Varanasi Zone, said the police initially exercised restraint in an attempt to resolve the situation without further escalation.
According to Arora, the standoff continued for nearly seven hours. The situation turned critical when Arvind allegedly opened fire from inside the house.
“Even after a seven-hour siege, the accused refused to come out and kept insisting we wait until morning,” Arora told reporters.
He said the police were eventually compelled to enter the premises after coming under fire from inside the house. The team used stun grenades and tear gas before breaking open the door.
“When he opened fire from within, the SSP and three or four members of the Special Operations Group (SOG) team were compelled to break down the door and enter as a last resort,” Arora said, adding that the police returned fire after coming under attack.
The police subsequently rescued all three children from the house and shifted them to a hospital.
Arora said the police discovered only after entering the premises that one of the children, a boy, had suffered a gunshot wound. The other two children, both girls, were reportedly traumatised and dehydrated.
“He was using his elder daughter as a shield,” Arora said.
Azamgarh Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anil Kumar confirmed that Arvind and his son died during treatment.
“Arvind and his son died of their injuries during treatment,” Kumar said.
Police have begun collecting evidence from the crime scene, while further investigation and other legal formalities are underway.
During the preliminary investigation, police also spoke to family members and local residents to establish the circumstances leading to the incident.
SSP Kumar said the investigation so far indicated that Arvind had displayed aggressive behaviour and that his family members had previously raised complaints about his conduct.
“After speaking with villagers, the accused’s family members, and an individual who survived the shooting unharmed, the investigation so far has revealed that Arvind was mentally disturbed and exhibited aggressive behaviour,” Kumar said.
He added that Arvind’s mother and wife had allegedly complained about him assaulting family members on earlier occasions.
According to police, his mother and wife had arranged the religious ceremony because they suspected that he was under the influence of an evil spirit and hoped the ritual would help address the situation.
Arvind allegedly objected to the ceremony and became angry during the proceedings. Police said the argument intensified after his wife objected to his alleged behaviour towards the priests, following which he allegedly opened fire.
A local resident told IANS that five priests had reportedly arrived at the house for the ritual. Three of them managed to escape, while the other two were allegedly shot during the confrontation.
Another resident said the religious ceremony had been taking place for four days and that the incident occurred during the evening prayers on the fourth day.
The resident said Arvind questioned the priests about who had invited them. The priest reportedly responded that family members had called them to conduct the religious ceremony.
The investigation is continuing to establish the sequence of events and the circumstances surrounding the shootings, hostage situation and subsequent police encounter.
