Row over loudspeaker at temple turns serious

The priest of the Sai Baba temple Devulla Satyanarayana Sharma (68), who was beaten up by an Imam on October 26, died while undergoing treatment at the NIMS Hospital in Hyderabad during the wee hours of Thursday.

According to the police, the elderly priest was brutally beaten up by Syed Sadiq Hussain, an Imam in the LB Nagar Masjid after the two had an argument over the loudspeaker of the temple. While the Imam wanted the speaker turned off, the priest refused to do so. Enraged, Sadiq Hussain beat up the priest. Sharma suffered fractures in his ribs and ruptures in his liver. He was initially admitted to the MGM Hospital in Warangal city, but later shifted to the NIMS as his condition worsened. He succumbed to injuries on Thursday while undergoing treatment.

The traders and businessmen observed a bandh voluntarily in Mandi Bazar, Pochamma Maidan and other localities in the city. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanded strict punishment to those responsible for the death of the priest. VHP Warangal Urban district president Kesireddy Jaipal Reddy said Sadiq Hussain, who beat up the priest must be hanged. He wanted the State government to announce ex gratia to the family members of the priest. The Saibaba temple must be given protection to ensure such incidents do not recur in future, he added. The body of the priest was shifted to his native village Mogilicherla for the funeral.