Naga sadhu strangled to death inside Ayodhya temple

A Naga sadhu was killed allegedly by his two disciples on the premises of Ayodhya's famous Hanumangarhi Temple, police said on Thursday.

Both the accused have been arrested, they said.

The deceased was identified as Ram Sahare Das, 38, who was stabbed to death late on Wednesday evening, police said.

The mahant (chief priest) of Hanumangarhi Temple, Ram Charan Das, said the accused committed the murder in a room on the premises and ran away.

"The incident came to light around 6 am on Thursday when some sadhus entered the room after he did not come out," Das told PTI.

"Ram Sahare used to wake up early in the morning but this did not happen today. When some sadhus called him, there was no response. When the door of his room was opened, blood was spilled all around and his body was lying there," he said.

Ayodhya SSP R K Nayyar said that on the basis of a complaint by mahant Ram Charan Das, a murder case was registered against deceased's two disciples Ankit Das and Rishabh Shukla.

"Both the accused have been arrested," Nayyar told PTI.

Earlier, another priest of Hanumangarhi Temple, Raju Das, had said the deceased sadhu was living in Hanumangarhi since 1991, his childhood days.

"He was a mahant of an ashram in Hanumangarhi, where he used to impart (spiritual) education to about ten students," he said.