Sewadar beaten to death over prasad dispute at Kalkaji Temple

August 30, 2025

New Delhi, August 30: A sewadaar was beaten to death with sticks on Friday night over prasad at Delhi’s famous Kalkaji temple. CCTV footage of the incident has also surfaced, in which two youths were seen continuously hitting the unconscious sewadaar with sticks. 3-4 more youths were standing nearby. After committing the crime, all of them fled from the spot.

Delhi Police said that the locals caught one of the accused on the spot and handed him over to the police. He has been identified as 30-year-old Atul Pandey, a resident of Dakshinpuri. The rest of the accused are being searched for. They have not been identified yet.

According to news agency ANI, the deceased sewadar was identified as 35-year-old Yogesh Singh. He was a resident of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh and was a sewadar at Kalkaji temple for the last 14-15 years. The police received information about the incident on a PCR call at around 9:30 pm last night.

Police reached the spot. Interrogation with the locals revealed that the accused had come to Kalkaji temple for darshan. After darshan, they asked the sewadaar for a chunni to tie on their head and prasad. During this, an argument broke out between them. The dispute turned violent and the youths beat up the sewadaar first with punches and then with sticks.

There was no movement in the body of the sewadar during the attack

The video of the attack showed that 4 to 5 youths were standing at the spot. Two of these youths had sticks in their hands. They attacked the sewadaar lying on the ground with sticks, one after the other, several times. During this time, there was no movement in the sevadaar’s body.

A youth present at the spot pulled one of the attackers towards himself. Then the other attacker also let go of the stick and all of them fled from there. During the entire incident, many devotees were seen in the temple, but no one came to stop the youths.

Delhi Police said that the sewadar was immediately rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he died during treatment. A case has been registered against the accused under Section 103(1)/3(5) of the Indian Penal Code (BNS).

‘The sevadaar had asked us to wait for two minutes for the prasad’

Raju, a sewadar of Kalkaji temple, said that the accused had asked for a chunni and prasad from sevadar Yogesh in the temple. Yogesh said that there is no prasad right now. Wait for two minutes. Regarding this, the accused said that come out, we will tell you.

Raju said that around 9 o’clock in the night, 10-15 youths came and picked up Yogesh from the Dharamshala. They came with iron rods, sticks and rods in their hands. They beat Yogesh to death. According to Raju, the accused have been coming to the temple earlier also and whenever they come, they show off their power.