Crime Shambhupur

Woman, two priests shot dead during puja in UP's Azamgarh

A woman and two priests were shot dead in Shambhupur village under Aharoula police station area of Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district on Tuesday evening, police said. Arvind Singh allegedly argued with his wife Babita on seeing a puja at home and opened fire with a licensed pistol, killing her and priests Mahendra Pathak and Akhilesh Mishra. SSP Anil Kumar said the family had organised the ritual believing Singh was behaving abnormally.

Written by AI from Hindustan Times — India · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 23 Sept 2026, 8:58 am IST

Source

Hindustan Times — India · read the original report ↗

#azamgarh#firing#crime#uttar pradesh#puja

Desk check · compared with the source

What the desk checked (5)

Three people, including a woman and two priests, were killed in firing at Shambhupur village, Azamgarh, on Tuesday evening. — Attributed to police in source; figures consistent throughout the text.
Arvind Singh allegedly opened fire with a licensed pistol after an argument during a puja, killing his wife Babita and two priests. — Attributed to police; named as alleged, not established in court.
The family organised the puja believing Singh was under the influence of a ghost, and he opposed the ritual. — Directly quoted to Azamgarh SSP Anil Kumar.
The deceased priests were Mahendra Pathak of Patkhauli village and Akhilesh Mishra of Chhitauna Bhatauli village. — Names and villages appear in source, attributed to police.
Singh locked himself in a room with his two children while senior officers attempted a rescue. — Attributed to an unnamed police officer; outcome not stated in source.

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Analysts’ view opinion

AI Legal Analyst

On its face this is a triple homicide, but legally it sits on three separate layers — the killings themselves, the misuse of a licensed firearm, and the live situation of an accused locked in with his children. The police references to 'abnormal behaviour' and heavy drinking will likely shape arguments about mental state; under Indian criminal law principles voluntary intoxication is generally not a defence, while an unsoundness-of-mind plea is assessed on separate, evidence-heavy terms. For now all of this is a preliminary police account that must still be proved in court.

Registration of a case under homicide provisions along with arms-law offences is the expected next step; the actual shape of the charges will only become clear with the chargesheet and forensic and ballistic reports.
Because police describe the weapon as a licensed pistol, administrative questions follow — possible cancellation of the licence, compliance with safe-storage conditions, and whether drinking habits were weighed at grant or renewal.
Intoxication alone rarely operates as a full defence in Indian law; converting 'abnormal behaviour' into a mental-illness plea would require medical examination and expert evidence, none of which is established yet.
The priests who fled are potential eyewitnesses whose statements, along with preservation of the scene, will largely determine the strength of the prosecution case.
With children reportedly inside the room, the constitutional requirement that police force be proportionate applies, and child-protection processes could also be triggered for their care and custody.

What to watch — Watch how the accused is taken into custody, whether he undergoes medical and psychiatric evaluation, what action authorities take on the firearm licence, and what formal arrangements are made for the children.

Everything here rests on early police allegations; the story does not establish the accused's mental state, his intent, the outcome for the children, or the precise charges actually registered.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 4 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

In Shambhupur village of Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district, a man allegedly shot dead his wife and two priests during a puja at his own home on Tuesday evening. Police said the family had arranged the ritual because they believed Arvind Singh was behaving abnormally, drinking heavily and was "under the influence of a ghost". Singh opposed the ritual, argued with the priests after demanding their Aadhaar cards, and then fired with a licensed pistol kept at home. He later locked himself in a room with his two children as senior police officers reached the spot.

Key facts

Three persons — a woman and two priests — were killed in the firing at Shambhupur village under Aharoula police station area, Azamgarh district, on Tuesday evening.
The accused is Arvind Singh, husband of the woman killed, Babita; he allegedly used a licensed pistol kept in the house.
The two priests killed were Mahendra Pathak of Patkhauli village and Akhilesh Mishra of Chhitauna Bhatauli village.
Babita and four priests were present at the house; two priests fled after the firing.
Singh returned from the market around 6pm and questioned the priests about the ritual, demanding their Aadhaar cards before the argument escalated.
Azamgarh SSP Anil Kumar said the initial probe found the family organised the puja after observing Singh behaving abnormally and consuming alcohol heavily.
A police officer said Singh was allegedly heavily drunk and locked himself inside a room with his two children.
DIG Sunil Kumar, SSP Anil Kumar and SP RA Chirag Jain reached the spot with a heavy police force and were trying to rescue the children.

Timeline

Before Tuesday eveningFamily members, including wife Babita, organise a puja believing Singh was behaving abnormally, drinking heavily and was under the influence of a ghost; Singh opposes the ritual.
Tuesday, around 6pmSingh returns from the market, sees the puja, questions the four priests and demands their Aadhaar cards; an argument breaks out.
Tuesday eveningSingh allegedly takes out a licensed pistol and opens fire, killing Babita and priests Mahendra Pathak and Akhilesh Mishra; other priests flee.
After the firingSingh allegedly locks himself in a room with his two children; DIG, SSP, SP and heavy police force reach the spot to rescue the children.

Who has a stake

Babita and the two priests killed (Mahendra Pathak, Akhilesh Mishra) — Lost their lives during the ritual; their families face bereavement and dependence on the criminal investigation.
Arvind Singh, the accused — Faces criminal liability for triple murder; also holder of the licensed pistol allegedly used.
Singh's two children — Reportedly locked in a room with the armed accused; their immediate safety and long-term care are at stake.
Azamgarh police (DIG Sunil Kumar, SSP Anil Kumar, SP RA Chirag Jain) — Responsible for rescuing the children, arresting the accused and completing the probe.
The two priests who fled — Surviving eyewitnesses whose accounts can shape the investigation.
Licensing authorities — The weapon used was licensed, raising questions on fitness checks for arms licence holders.

Why it matters

A licensed firearm kept at home was allegedly used by a man described by police as heavily drunk, turning a family ritual into a triple killing. The case highlights two persistent gaps: how alcohol dependence and abnormal behaviour are addressed through faith-based rituals rather than medical care, and how arms licences remain with persons whose conduct their own family found alarming.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

Incident location: Shambhupur village, Aharoula police station area, Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh.
Victims: Babita (wife of accused) and priests Mahendra Pathak (Patkhauli) and Akhilesh Mishra (Chhitauna Bhatauli).
Accused: Arvind Singh; weapon stated by police to be a licensed pistol kept in the house.
Officers named in the response: DIG Sunil Kumar, SSP Anil Kumar, SP RA Chirag Jain.
Police said four priests were present; two were killed and the others fled.
Trigger of the argument, per police: Singh demanded the priests' Aadhaar cards.

Mains framing

The Azamgarh killings illustrate how private firearm possession, untreated alcohol dependence and reliance on superstition can converge into lethal violence within the household. Police say the family, seeing Singh behave abnormally and drink heavily, turned to a puja in the belief that he was possessed by a ghost — a response that substituted ritual for medical or de-addiction intervention, and which the accused resented. The weapon was a licensed pistol kept at home, which raises the question of whether arms licensing and renewal regimes adequately screen for intoxication-related risk and family complaints, and whether firearms should remain accessible in households reporting behavioural crises. The immediate policing challenge was also acute: securing two children reportedly locked in with an armed, allegedly drunk accused, requiring senior officers and a heavy force at the site. A way forward, on the evidence in the source, lies in three directions: accessible community-level de-addiction and mental health support so families are not driven to ritual remedies; stricter scrutiny and temporary impounding of licensed arms where risk is flagged; and trained police protocols for hostage-type situations involving children within families. Any conclusion on motive or culpability must await the completed investigation.

Key terms

SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police): District police chief in larger districts of Uttar Pradesh; here Anil Kumar of Azamgarh briefed the media on the initial probe.
DIG (Deputy Inspector General of Police): Range-level supervisory police officer; Sunil Kumar reached the spot with the district officers.
Licensed pistol: A firearm held under a legally issued arms licence; police say such a pistol kept in the house was used in the killings.
Puja: A Hindu worship ritual; here organised by the family in the belief that Singh was under the influence of a ghost.
Aadhaar card: Unique identity document issued in India; Singh allegedly demanded the priests produce theirs, sparking the argument.
Aharoula police station: The police station area in Azamgarh district under whose jurisdiction Shambhupur village and the incident fall.

Practice questions

Does India's arms licensing framework adequately account for alcohol dependence and family-reported behavioural risk? Discuss with reference to the Azamgarh case.
Superstition-based responses to mental illness and addiction persist in rural India. Examine the causes and suggest institutional remedies.
What protocols should police follow when an armed accused confines children inside a house? Evaluate in light of the response by senior officers in Azamgarh.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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