A ritual to ‘cure’ farmer ends in 4 murders and an encounter in UP

In the village of Shambhupur, Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district, a religious ritual intended to cure a farmer of alleged spirit possession tragically turned into a deadly encounter, resulting in four fatalities. The incident unfolded late Tuesday at the home of 45-year-old Arvind Singh, who allegedly shot his wife, two priests, and wounded his 9-year-old son before barricading himself inside a room with his children.

Relatives had attributed Arvind's mental health issues to spirit possession, leading them to arrange the five-day religious ceremony. However, tensions escalated during the fourth day of the ritual when Arvind allegedly confronted priests Mahendra Pathak, 42, and Akhilesh Mishra, 55, accusing them of being frauds and threatening their identities. The priests recorded the confrontation on their mobile phones, which further fueled the argument.

Arvind then allegedly retrieved his licensed revolver and opened fire on his wife, Babita Singh, 35, followed by the two priests. Despite the priests' attempt to record the incident, Arvind's actions turned deadly, with all three priests succumbing to their injuries at the hospital. As police surrounded the house and attempted to negotiate with Arvind, he refused to surrender, insisting on shooting his children.

The police ultimately broke into the room and found Arvind's son severely wounded, who also died upon arrival at the hospital.