Nadiad town was tense after a former councillor of its muncipality succumbed to bullet injuries allegedly fired from the licenced weapon of a priest of a temple situated in a Muslim dominated locality. The bullet hit his chest and he died on Saturday.
Ashok Bhuria, the priest of the temple to Dalaram Bapa, a patron saint of localHindu community, fired upon Sajid Vora, the ex-councillor using his licenced 0.12 bore gun at around 2 am on Saturday alleging that Vora led a mob that tried to storm the temple by pelting stones, police said. Bhuria lived in the temple premises along with his family.
Members of both the sides filed FIRs at Nadiad police station. As per FIR filed by one Mohammad Imran, Vora and Bhuria had fought over parking of his two-wheeler after which Bhuria took out his gun and fired at him.
A cross-FIR filed by one Girish Giri stated that a mob armed with sharp weapons attacked the ashram of Dalaram Bapa with the intention to damage the temple property. People in the mob rushed towards the ashram pelting stones.
Threatened by the mob, the accused fired from his 0.12 bore licenced gun in self-defence, police said.
The bullet hit Vora in the chest. He was rushed to a hospital in Anand town where he died during treatment on later Saturday.
Kheda SP Sachin Badshah said the police being deployed in the locality to maintain law and order as the body of the victim was being brought to his house from Anand hospital where he died. So far, nobody has been arrested.
Badshah said people of two communities clashed over an old matter, with the accused firing from his licenced gun in self-defence when a mob of around fifty persons started pelting stones at the temple where he lived.
“The incident took place in a Muslim dominated locality following some altercation over a motorcycle. We are yet to get the exact detail about the reason behind the attack on the temple. But the locals in the area, which is Muslim-dominated, had in the past fought with the priest and their family members who live in the temple. The gun was fired in self-defence,” Badshah said.
Source : IndianExpress