Belagavi: A priest from Belagavi's celebrated Kapileshwar temple was beaten at the premises by a group of youths late on Monday night. The quarrel took a turn for the worse when the victim's sister arrived at the spot and threw acid on her brothers' attackers. Enraged, they dragged the wounded priest out of the temple, where he was paraded semi-nude. The priest, Rama Pujari, has been hospitalised with severe wounds and a case has been registered in connection with the clash.
The priest, Ram Pujari, had flouted orders from the temple trust, which said he was not to conduct night-time rituals on the premises. Pujari, however, would do so often. Late on Monday night, he objected to a group of devotees who happened to be cleaning the premises. This soon became a quarrel and Pujari was attacked by the group, who beat him badly for attempting to stop them.
As the spat was underway, the priest's sister arrived at the spot and threw acid on some of the youths attacking her brother.
Enraged, the youths hauled the priest outside the temple and paraded him semi-nude before handing him over to the police. Some of the attackers sustained injuries from the acid. Khadebazaar police have filed a case and are investigating.
