Dalit tries to enter temple in Hamirpur, set ablaze

LUCKNOW: An elderly Dalit man was set on fire for trying to enter a temple in Hamirpur district on Thursday. The incident took place in the presence of several other devotees in Bilgaon, a remote village on the Hamirpur-Jalaun border.

The victim, identified as Chimma, 90, had gone to Maidani Baba temple with his wife, son Durjan and brother. He was stopped from entering the temple by Sanjay Tiwari.

Chimma insisted on entering the temple and offering prayers but was stopped by Tiwari, who later attacked him with an axe while his wife screamed for help, Tiwari doused Chimma with kerosene and set him on fire.

The police said that the accused had been arrested and was drunk at the time of the incident. Two aides of Tiwari, who were also named in the FIR, are on the run.