&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "UP farmer kills wife, 2 priests during ‘spirit possession’ ritual, shoots 9yo son")
A religious ritual meant to ‘rid’ a 45-year-old farmer of what his family believed was spirit possession turned deadly in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh after he allegedly shot his wife and two priests before killing his 9-year-old son, police said. The incident took place in Shambhupur village on Tuesday, the fourth day of a five-day religious ceremony being held for farmer Arvind Singh.
According to police, Arvind had a history of mental health issues and was undergoing treatment. His family, however, believed he was affected by “spirit possession” and organised the ritual in the hope of improving his condition.
What happened during the ritual
Police said Arvind became agitated during the ceremony and began arguing with his wife, Babita Singh, 35, and two priests, Mahendra Pathak, 42, and Akhilesh Mishra, 55. Relatives told police that Arvind allegedly abused the priests and accused them of being frauds while questioning their identities. The argument escalated when the priests objected, police said.
Arvind allegedly assaulted his wife, following which the two priests began recording the confrontation on their mobile phones, according to relatives. Police said Arvind then took out his licensed revolver and opened fire. Babita was allegedly shot first, followed by the two priests.
The three victims were rushed to hospital, where doctors declared them dead.
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Farmer locks himself inside room with children
After the shooting, Arvind allegedly locked himself inside a room with his three children, police said. Azamgarh SSP Anil Kumar said officers surrounded the house and spent hours trying to persuade him to surrender. Police also enlisted the help of his relatives in an attempt to convince him to open the door.
However, he refused, police said, and continued to threaten to shoot the children. After nearly seven hours, police heard a gunshot from inside the room. Officers then broke open the door and entered the room, where they found Arvind’s 9-year-old son seriously injured from an alleged gunshot fired by his father.
