Priest's body burnt to ashes in suspected fire accident at Gorakhpur temple
Police stated that deceased, who had been sleeping in the temple's veranda at the time of the incident, is suspected to have died in a fire he may have lit to stay warm on a cold night.
In a tragic incident, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday (November 25) reported discovering the charred body of an elderly priest at the Bamant Mata Temple premises in the Gulriha area of Gorakhpur district. According to the information released, the incident occurred during the intervening night of Sunday and early Monday when the deceased, identified as Ganga Das, 95, lost his life in a fire accident.
Police stated that Ganga Das, who had been sleeping in the temple's veranda at the time of the incident, is suspected to have died in a fire he may have lit to stay warm on a cold night but tragically lost his life in the process.
"The exact cause of death is yet to be determined, but preliminary investigations suggest it may have been accidental. It is suspected that the priest lit a fire to stay warm in the cold night, which tragically led to the incident," said City Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhinav Tyagi.
Significantly, the police official also added that the deceased, was suffering from hearing and speech impairments, which is why he was unable to call for help, and the incident went unnoticed during the night.
Significantly, it is pertinent to note that as the police team arrived at the site after being informed of the priest's death, they found that only part of his head remained intact, while the rest of his body had been reduced to ashes. Moreover, the officials stated that further investigation into the matter is underway.
(With inputs from PTI)