In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, unidentified assailants attacked the priest of Ghaziabad’s Dasna Devi temple and stabbed him multiple times.
According to police, the victim Swami Nareshanand was asleep in temple premises when an unknown accused stabbed him with a sharp object. The police was alerted by other staff in the temple and the victim was admitted to a nearby hospital.
The police are scanning the CCTV footage installed at the temple premises to find the attackers. “We received information that a priest had been stabbed in Dasna area. Presently, he is receiving treatment and is out of danger. We have formed teams to investigate the case. All angles are being probed,” said Dr. Iraj Raja, SP Rural Ghaziabad.
Notably it has been revealed that in reality Mahant Yati Narasimhanand Saraswati, who was sleeping in the room, adjacent to that of Swami Nareshanand Saraswati, was on the hit list of the assailants.
Mahant Yati Narsinghanand often remained on the target list for terrorists because of his outspoken rhetoric and police were tasked to ensure his security. In May this year, Delhi Police Special Cell had thwarted an assassination bid on Narsinghanand Saraswati, the chief priest of the temple. A Kashmiri suspect was nabbed in May who was plotting to kill a priest and was identified as Mohammad Dar alias Jahangeer.
However, Anil Yadav, Narsinghanand Saraswati’s acquaintance has slammed PAC guards, who are in-charge of the temple security for their negligence. Meanwhile, the police claimed that the victim was sleeping outside and not in his room, which made him vulnerable to the attack.
