Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal (ANI image)
NEW DELHI: Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party over its handling of law and order in the national capital after a sewadar in Delhi’s Kalkaji Temple was murdered over a dispute related to ‘chunni prasad’.”Didn’t the hands of these miscreants tremble before they brutally murdered the sevadar inside the Kalkaji Temple? If this isn’t a failure of law and order, then what is it?” Kejriwal asked in a post on X. “The four engines of the BJP have brought Delhi to such a state that now such incidents are happening even in temples. Is anyone safe in Delhi or not?” he added.AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bhardwaj alleged that the Delhi police only intimidate and threaten the law-abiding public.”The situation in Delhi is getting worse by the day. The police are just busy with political tasks. The police only intimidate and threaten the law-abiding public. Thieves, goons, and gangsters have no fear of the police at all. They think everything can be managed with money. We are requesting time from the Police Commissioner,” he said in a post on X.A sewadar of Kalkaji Temple in Delhi, identified as Yogendra Singh (35), was murdered over a dispute related to ‘chunni prasad’. Yogendra Singh, who hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi, had been serving at the Kalkaji Temple for 14 to 15 years, according to the Delhi Police.The police received a PCR call around 9:30 pm and immediately rushed to the scene. During the enquiry, it came to notice that the accused persons came to the Kalkaji Mandir for darshan. The accused demanded ‘chunni prasad’ from Singh, leading to an argument. The situation escalated, and the accused physically assaulted Singh with sticks and fists.The victim was immediately taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he passed away during treatment, said the police.A case has been registered under Sections 103(1)/ 3(5) of BNS. One of the accused, Atul Pandey, aged 30 years, resident of Dakshinpuri, was apprehended by the local public at the spot and handed over to the police. Further investigation is underway. The remaining accused are being identified, and efforts are being made to apprehend them, the police said.Raju, a servitor (sewadaar) at the Kalkaji Temple, told ANI, “What I know is, around 9 pm, they took him from the Dharamshala. There were 10-15 people. They had iron rods and sticks, and they beat him to death. The deceased’s name is Yogesh… They were asking for prasad, and Yogesh asked them to wait for a few minutes, after which, they started threatening him… Whenever these people came to the temple, they came with an aggressive attitude and expected us to give them whatever they wanted.”
