Police said the accused Arvind Singh (35) opened fire with his rifle after an argument with priests.
Police said the accused, Arvind Singh , 35, opened fire with his rifle after an argument with priests who had come to conduct rituals at his house. The deceased were identified as Mahendra Pathak, 60, Akhilesh Mishra, 50, and Singh’s wife Babita, 32. An ATS commando team was also roped in as police launched an operation to bring the standoff to an end.
Police said Singh returned home while the ritual was underway and found his wife participating in the ceremony with four priests. Two priests and his wife were killed on the spot, police said. Two other priests escaped unhurt. He questioned their presence and later demanded to see their Aadhaar cards. An argument followed, with Singh allegedly abusing the priests before opening indiscriminate fire. After the shooting, Singh allegedly locked himself inside the house with his three children, triggering panic in the village. A heavy police force surrounded the premises as hundreds of villagers gathered outside. Senior officers, including District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar, SSP Anil Kumar, DIG Sunil Kumar Singh and ADG Varanasi Zone Naveen Arora, reached the spot.
Singh’s mother had invited the priests to perform rituals for the peace of the soul of Singh’s brother Sunil, who was murdered in 2019, according to the preliminary probe.
Family members said Singh had opposed the ceremony and warned the priests against returning to the house.