Assaulted 80-yr-old priest succumbs to injuries in Azamgarh

Varanasi: The 80-year-old priest of a temple at Gulaur village in Mubarakpur police station area of Azamgarh district succumbed at the district hospital on Sunday. The priest Ramchandra Das had been attacked by a man of neighbouring Bijarwa village on Friday night when he refused to give him money for liquor.
Hundreds of Gulaur natives blocked Azamgarh-Gorakhpur highway and staged massive protest on Sunday afternoon.Police managed to convince them to call off their stir after much pursuasion.
The priest was looking after the temple for decades. On Friday evening he was returning from market when one Mrityunjaya of neighbouring village started forcing him to give money to purchase liquor. When Das refused, he attacked him mercilessly with a stick and escaped before the locals could swing into action. SP Azamgarh Sudhir Kumar Singh said the priest had suffered head injuries. The killer Mrityunjaya was arrested on Saturday and sent to jail.