Miscreants open fire at temple in Bihar's Vaishali, head priest killed, one injured; police launches probe

Hajipur (Bihar): The head priest of a temple was killed and one of his followers seriously injured after unidentified persons opened fire at them at a temple in Vaishali district, police said in Hajipur on Sunday. The incident happened under the jurisdiction of Raghopur police station on Saturday night, the police said. [caption id=“attachment_4280791” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The head priest, 65-year-old Mauni Baba, was shot dead inside the ‘Ram Janaki Mutt’ temple while his follower Chhotan Das was seriously injured in the attack, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Raghopur, Rupesh Kumar said. The incident came to light on Sunday morning when another follower of Mauni Baba found his master’s body lying in a pool of blood, the SHO said. The temple is located in a remote part of the district, he said. Seriously injured Chhotan Das was also found lying beside the dead priest, he said. He was taken to NMCH hospital in Patna, the SHO said. Police was trying to ascertain the motive behind the attack and the identity of the attackers, he said. Mauni Baba had come to the area 25 years ago, established the ‘Ram Janaki Mutt’ and temple, and has been holding the post of ‘Mahant’ since then, he added.