On Monday, August 14, a Hindu priest 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.
#BREAKING | Priest murdered in Rasal village of Rajasthan, investigation underway – https://t.co/6CjsNJaatY #Rajasthan #Rasal #AshokGehlot #RajasthanNews #Congress #BJP pic.twitter.com/5N1wfNTgBz
— Republic (@republic) August 14, 2023
Media reports mentioned police saying that as per preliminary investigation, the priest was tortured by two men who later killed him.
The villagers on Monday morning visited his ashram located in Rasal village, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Kuchaman police, and found him lying dead on the floor. They informed the police after which the forensics team and dog squad were called.
The forensics team collected necessary evidence from the spot. According to reports, the forensics team found signs of struggle on the priest’s body, pointing towards torture.
Divulging important information about the case, Kuchaman City SHO Suresh Kumar said, “The seer was living alone. The body with hands, legs and mouth tied was found, raising suspicion of murder. We have registered a case of murder and an investigation is being done.”
The SHO added that the saint had gone to sleep in his room on Sunday night after talking to villagers in the evening. On Monday, the villagers found him lying dead.
Suresh Kumar said that the priest’s body was handed over to his family after a postmortem.
Republic News mentioned a police source as saying that the reason behind this murder is not yet ascertained. The police are trying to find the motive behind the murder by probing all possible angles. Several teams have been formed to nab the accused involved in the heinous crime.
Meanwhile, owing to the increase in crime rates in the state, the villagers on Monday staged a protest against the police and the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the state.
BJP also hit out at the Ashok Gehlot-led government in Rajasthan over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Union Minister Prahlad Joshi said, “I condemn the killing of Hindu priest. It appears that lawlessness is prevailing in Rajasthan at present. There is a chaotic situation in the state. Fear of law has disappeared from the state. Criminals have become fearless, this is why one after the other heinous crimes are being committed. This is the reason why, rape, murder, robbery and other criminal activities keep surfacing from the state.”
In November last year, Rajasthan Police arrested twelve persons for attempting to burn alive a Devnarayan temple priest and his wife in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan. The incident happened on November 20, 2022, at around 8:30 pm when the duo was having dinner at their son’s shop. The accused arrived at the spot and hurled balloons filled with petrol at the shop.
