Two found dead at temple in Patiala; police stop shrine from performing last rites

Patiala, May 11

Mystery shrouds the death of two persons at a city temple today. The deceased, who were working at the temple, have been identified as Vipin Gir, 25, and Sanjay, 35.

The suspicion arose when it came to the fore that the temple authorities were reportedly trying to bury one of the deceased Vipin Gir and planning to cremate the second without informing the police.

However, the police, following a tip-off, reached on time and stopped the temple authorities from carrying out the rituals.

The bodies, after the intervention of police, were sent to the mortuary for postmortem. Later in the evening, the police said that a postmortem report has revealed that Vipin Gir’s death was not natural. The report revealed that there were marks of hanging on the body of Gir, while there were no marks on the body of Sanjay. However, to rule out poisoning, viscera samples of both the deceased have been sent to the state laboratory at Kharar in Mohali district.

Sources said Sanjay was maternal uncle of Vipin Gir. It has been learnt that wife and two kids were present at the site when the authorities were planning to cremate and bury both the deceased.

Mohit Aggarwal, Deputy Superintendent of Police, said, “All possible angles will be investigated. Nothing has been ruled out so far.”