Post News Network
Cuttack, Oct 7: The body of a servitor of the Sai temple at Khannagar here was found hanging from a bamboo scaffolding erected close to the temple in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The deceased, identified as Loknath Rout (27), a resident of Paridasahi near Shankarpur under Badambadi police limits, had been working as a servitor at the temple for the last few years. He was residing in a room on the temple premises. While police said preliminary investigations indicated suicide, Rout’s brother alleged that he was killed.
After being informed, police recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem to SCB Medical College and Hospital. Police also collected the footage from a close-circuit television camera fitted near the temple to get clues regarding the incident.
Sources said Rout had retired to bed after completing the nightly rituals of the temple Monday. A few masons Tuesday spotted his body hanging from a bamboo scaffolding erected for application of paint on the dome of the temple. The victim’s elder brother, Jagannath, lodged a complaint with police in connection with the incident.
“Loknath did not have dispute with any family members. He was not suffering from mental depression, either. So the question of suicide does not arise. It is a case of pre-planned murder. His body was hanged to give it a suicide angle,” said Jagannath.
Sai temple managing committee president Akhaya Kumar Rout condemned the incident and sought a proper probe into it. “We are shocked to learn of Loknath’s death. Police should conduct a proper and fast probe to find out the truth behind the incident,” he said
Badambadi police station in-charge Biranchi Narayan Pati said, “Our primary investigation indicates that the servitor might have committed suicide. However, we have registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC as per a complaint lodged by the brother of the deceased. Any conclusion can be drawn only after we receive the post-mortem report.”
