Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh: A man accused of killing his wife and two priests in a shooting at his home in Azamgarh was killed in a police encounter early Wednesday following a nearly seven-hour standoff during which he allegedly threatened to kill his children, officials said.
Arvind Singh from Shambhupur village in Ahraula area died during treatment around 3.30 am, Senior Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said.
Police took the help of his relatives to persuade him to surrender, but their hands were forced when they heard gunshots from inside the house where the three children were present, they said. One of the children was in a serious condition.
According to police, Singh returned home around 6 pm on Tuesday and saw that some religious rituals were underway. His wife Babita Singh (32) was conducting the ritual along with priests Mahendra Pathak (60) and Akhilesh Mishra (55).
Police said the ritual had been going on for four days. Singh's mother Samla Devi (70), daughter Pari (5), son Lakkha (6) and his seven-month-old daughter were also at the house. Mishra's son Himanshu and another priest were also present for the ritual.
Pathak was a resident of Patakhouli village, while Mishra was from Chhitauna Bhattauli village.
Singh allegedly questioned the priests about the rituals and demanded their Aadhaar cards, following which an argument broke out. He then allegedly took out his licensed pistol and opened fire, killing his wife and the two priests.
According to police, Singh was angry over the ritual, which the family had arranged due to concerns about the presence of ghosts, spirits, or other supernatural influences at the house.
After the shooting, Singh locked himself inside a room with his three children. The incident triggered a prolonged police operation, with teams from eight police stations surrounding the house and senior officers personally attempting to secure Singh's surrender before the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) was brought in.
The SSP, DIG Sunil Kumar Singh and Varanasi ADG Navin Arora and others tried for several hours to persuade him to surrender, officials said.
Police said Singh repeatedly threatened to kill the children and also fired at them, injuring one child, who was admitted to hospital in a serious condition. The other two children were stated to be out of danger.
The police and senior officers continued attempts to persuade Singh to surrender for around seven hours, bringing relatives to the spot to speak to him. Villagers also told police that his mental condition did not appear to be normal, officials said.
Around 12.20 am, an ATS team was called in as efforts to persuade Singh to surrender continued, officials said.
ADG Arora said Singh was not willing to come out and had indicated that he would speak to the authorities in the morning. While preparations were being made to handle the situation, firing was suddenly heard from inside the house.
"There were three children inside the room, and police had no option after Singh opened fire. Stun grenades and tear-gas grenades were used before the door was broken open. SSP Kumar then entered the room along with the SOG team," the ADG said.
Singh allegedly fired five rounds at the police team after they entered the room. The police then opened "controlled fire", in which Singh was injured, the ADG added. He was taken for treatment but died around 3.30 am, the SSP said.
The SSP said one of the children was in a serious condition while the other two were out of danger.