{
  "id": 9270002,
  "title": "A ritual to ‘cure’ farmer ends in 4 murders and an encounter in UP",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/a-ritual-to-cure-farmer-ends-in-4-murders-and-an-encounter-in-up",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T04:38:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/shambhupur-uttar-pradesh-farmer-murders-encounter-ritual-10890066/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nRelatives 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.\n\nArvind 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.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Four people, including Arvind Singh and two priests, killed in UP ritual",
    "Spirit possession attributed to 45-year-old Arvind Singh's mental health issues",
    "Police negotiate fails as Arvind barricades himself with children"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The deadly outcome of a ritual meant to cure a farmer of spirit possession highlights the dangers of mixing mental health issues with unqualified spiritual interventions.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}