In a shocking incident, a 32-year-old temple priest was shot dead and his eyes were gouged out in Bihar’s Gopalpanj district on Saturday.
The body of Manoj Kumar, who had been missing for the last five days, was found in the bushes near a milk factory near his house in Danapur village.
Kumar was a priest at a Shiva temple in Danapur. His brother Ashok Kumar Shah is a former divisional president of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Police had launched a search operation to trace Kumar following a missing complaint filed by his family. They, however, couldn’t track him until his body was found in the village on Saturday evening.
The family of the victim claimed that he was shot near the neck and his eyes were gouged out. There were injuries on his private parts as well.
The incident has sparked clashes in the village with locals accusing police of negligence. Two policemen were injured in stone-pelting while a police vehicle was also set on fire.
Gopalganj Sadar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Pranjal, who reached the spot, said the situation was under control and adequate police force had been called in.
Police have detained five persons in connection with the clashes.
