Man kills wife and priests in ritual dispute, dies in police encounter

A man who allegedly killed his wife and two priests during a dispute over a religious ritual in Shambhupur village in Azamgarh district was killed in a police encounter late on Tuesday night (September 22, 2026).

After shooting two priests and his wife, the accused Arvind Singh locked himself along with three children inside the house, creating hostage situation. Local police and Special Operations Group (SOG), reached the site.

As per locals, the accused’s mother invited the priests to conduct rituals for the peace of the soul of Singh’s brother. The accused had an altercation with priests, after which he opened fire.

The deceased were identified as Babita, 34, Mahendra Pathak, 60; and Akhilesh Mishra, 51. Locals said the accused was opposed to conducting any religious ritual.

“In the village of Shambhupur, under the jurisdiction of the Ahraula police station, a man shot and killed his wife and two other individuals. Police immediately arrived at the scene and attempted to remove the accused, Arvind, and his children from the room. Despite adequate warnings, the accused shot one of his children. In the interest of the children’s safety, police retaliated and injured Arvind.

“The accused and the injured child were sent to the hospital for treatment, where both Arvind and his child died during treatment. Police safely evacuated the two children from the scene. Adequate police force, Special Operations Group (SOG), and forensic teams are present at the scene. Evidence collection and other necessary legal proceedings are underway,” said Anil Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Azamgarh.