A sub-inspector was transferred to the police lines for allegedly mishandling a dispute between a guesthouse owner and a temple priest on Monday evening in Allahabad’s Daraganj area. According to the police, sub-inspector Anil Kumar assaulted the priest during the dispute.
Mrityunjay Singh, who owns a guesthouse on the premises of a Ram-Janaki temple in Daraganj area, allegedly got into an altercation with the priest, Ram Das, on Monday. A team from Daraganj police station then went to the temple to intervene. The two parties, however, came to blows, following which the team, led by Kumar, tried to stop the fight, a police officer said. Temple property including an idol was damaged in the scuffle, local BJP leader D N Mishra alleged. Singh had submitted a complaint regarding the dispute with the district authority, which had forwarded the same to the Daraganj police station.
“During the dispute, the priest abused the sub-inspector, following which the sub-inspector beat the priest. He has been transferred to the police lines. Probe is underway,” said SSP Akash Kulhary.
Mrityunjay and Ram Das got FIRs registered against each other on charge of assault, police said. Ram Das, who had recently taken over as mahant of the temple, recently shut down Singh’s guesthouse, they added. The previous mahant had allowed Mrityunjay and his father to run the guesthouse and share a portion of the income with the temple. However, Ram Das had alleged that Mrityunjay had begun cheating him of the promised sum of money.