india

Updated: Jul 29, 2019 18:01 IST

A man who slit his throat with a dagger inside a temple in Bihar’s Ara town late Sunday evening is battling for survival in a hospital, police said on Monday.

Identified as Lallan Ram, a resident of Simraha village in East Champaran district, the 40-year-old critically injured man was first rushed to Ara Sadar hospital from where he was referred to Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), about 100 km east.

Police said Ram had probably come to Ara to work as an agricultural labourer. They said they were gathering further details about the victim and also probing the circumstances that compelled him to take such an extreme step.

Chandrashekhar Gupta, Station House Officer (SHO) of Ara town police station, said, “He was not in a position to give any statement. Hence, the reason behind the incident could not be ascertained so far. We are waiting for his family members to visit the hospital. We might get some leads from them.”

Gupta said that prompt action by police helped save the man’s life.

Quoting eye-witnesses, police said that on Sunday evening, the victim armed with a dagger came near the gate of a Durga temple. After paying obeisance to the Goddess, he pulled out his dagger and slit his throat. There were hundreds of devotees in the temple but before they could realize what Lallan Ram was up to, he was on the floor bleeding profusely and gasping for breath.

The shocked devotees immediately called police who reached within minutes and rushed him to Ara Sadar hospital. Given his critical state, doctors referred him to PMCH for better treatment.