Ramjanaki Mandir’s Pujari Manindra Mani Tripathi was brutally murdered and his dead body was discarded in a field near the Mandir. The gruesome murder occurred in Prayagraj. The perpetrators had shoved a cloth into the Pujari’s mouth and bound his hands and feet with a towel, suggesting that he may have been strangled to death. The authorities were alerted to the incident in the morning, prompting a swift response from the police. The mandir’s lock had been forcibly broken, and the murtis were also discovered scattered in the field. The police immediately sent the Pujari’s body for autopsy.

The victim Manindra Mani Tripathi, aged 48, served as a Pujari at the Ram Janaki Mandir situated within the IKM PG College campus in Anapur of Nawabganj police station area. Tragically, the Pujari was disabled in both legs and could not walk. He had faithfully served the mandir for approximately 25 years, also taking on the responsibility of its care.

Manindra Mani Tripathi hailed from Siwan district in Bihar. His lifeless body was found in a field near the mandir on a Monday (October 2) morning. His hands and legs had been bound with gloves, and a cloth was forcibly placed in his mouth. Furthermore, the mandir’s lock had been broken, and the murtis were missing. Local residents who stumbled upon the Pujari’s lifeless body in the morning promptly alerted the police.

The police swiftly arrived at the scene, accompanied by forensic experts and a dog squad to gather evidence and investigate the crime. Additionally, nearby CCTV footage is currently under scrutiny. The incident has left the community tense and anxious.

Inspector Anoop Singh of Nawabganj reported that the police received information about Pujari’s lifeless body at 7 AM. “The circumstances surrounding the murder will only be revealed after the postmortem report is available. Currently, all samples and evidence from the crime scene have been collected, and the police are diligently investigating the incident. Authorities have interviewed school management and local villagers regarding the incident”, he said.

This Mandir had experienced theft attempts in the past. According to media reports, there are two mandirs within the complex, one dedicated to Satti Chaura and the other to Ram Janaki. On 21 August 2023, there was an attempted theft at the Satti Chaura Mandir, but the thieves fled upon hearing the workers’ commotion. These criminals had sought to steal valuable Kaskut vigrahas of Ram Janaki. Subsequently, on 1 October 2023, thieves once again targeted the Ram and Sita murtis.

The perpetrators had bound and gagged the Pujari, Manindra Mani Tripathi, during their latest attempt. They managed to cut the vigraha of Ram-Janaki but were attempting to remove the murti of Laxman ji. It is believed that the Pujari perished due to suffocation. The thieves were unable to carry away the heavy Ram-Janaki murti but made off with a one-foot vigraha of Laddu Gopal and an eight-metal murti. Additionally, they stole all the mandir’s gold and silver items. Notably, a similar theft of the Kanhaiya vigraha occurred in 2014 at a Mandir located in Gaurishankar Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya in Shringverpur, though no leads were established at the time.

A similar incident was reported from Rajasthan on August 14. A Hindu Pujari was found dead in the Rasal village in the Nagaur district in Rajasthan. According to reports, the priest, identified as 72-year-old Maharaj Mohandas was found lying on the floor of his Ashram with his hands and legs tied and mouth gagged, raising suspicion of murder. He had been reportedly serving in the ashram for the past 14 years.

In August end, 93-year-old Pujari Mahant Siyaram Das of Bhuriya Mahadev Baba Dham Mandir in Diggi town of Rajasthan’s Tonk was murdered. Devotees discovered his body when they arrived to pray the next morning. Last April, Mahant Gorakhnath Das was killed by thieves who also stole 13 murtis of Hindu deities and jewellery adorning the deities from an ancient Ram-Janki temple in Bihar’s Saran district. Incidents of murders of Mandir Pujaris and thefts of murtis and other valuables from temples are on the rise and need to be dealt with strictly by authorities.