Indore: 71-year-old temple trustee beaten to death over dispute

A 71-year-old temple trustee in Indore was allegedly beaten to death with a stick following a long-standing dispute. Police said the accused, who was addicted to alcohol, had been barred from the temple premises and had previous altercations.

A 71-year-old temple trustee was allegedly beaten to death with a stick following a dispute in Madhya Pradesh's Indore on Tuesday morning, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Kailash Modi, trustee and president of the Barah Mattha Temple located near Gurunanak Colony under the Annapurna police station limits. The accused, identified as Mukesh Sharma, has been detained and is being questioned, police said. According to police, the incident occurred around 6 am near the gate of a Gurudwara in Gurunanak Colony.

History of the Dispute

Annapurna police station in-charge Gopal Yadav told ANI that the accused was allegedly addicted to alcohol and had a long-standing dispute with the deceased over his conduct. "Accused Mukesh Sharma and his three brothers used to reside within the premises of the Barah Mattha Temple. The accused was addicted to alcohol, and this had been a recurring point of conflict between him and Kailash Modi, the trustee and president of the temple. The two had previously been involved in heated arguments and physical altercations. A case had also been registered last year in connection with a similar dispute against the accused and tensions between the two sides had continued for some time," SHO Yadav said.

Police said Sharma had subsequently been barred from staying within the temple premises. Thereafter, he allegedly began living on a footpath outside the temple and worked as a labourer. "As a result, Sharma had been barred from residing within the temple premises. Thereafter, he no longer lived inside the temple compound and instead slept on the footpath outside and worked as a labourer. He was addicted to alcohol and always found in an inebriated state," the officer said.

The Fatal Confrontation

Yadav said an argument broke out between the two on Tuesday morning when Modi arrived at the temple premises. "This morning, when Kailash Modi arrived at the temple, Sharma was there and an argument broke out between the two. Later, accused Sharma assaulted Kailash Modi with a stick and beat him to death near a gurudwara located in the Gurunanak Colony. The accused has been taken into police custody and is being questioned," he said.

Police said a case has been registered and further investigation into the incident is underway.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)