LUCKNOW: A nearly seven-hour standoff in Shambhuganj village in Azamgarh ended in a police encounter early Wednesday, with Arvind Singh (40), accused of killing his wife and two priests, being shot dead after refusing repeated appeals to surrender and holding his three children hostage inside the house.Arvind and his eight-year-old son, Shaurya alias Lakha, were critically injured during the exchange of fire and rushed to the District Hospital. Shaurya later succumbed to his injuries, while Arvind was declared dead. His daughters, Pari (10) and Saanvi (11 months), were rescued unharmed.DIG Sunil Kumar Singh said police, relatives and family members made sustained efforts through the night to convince Arvind to surrender, but he refused to release the children or step out.ADG (Varanasi Zone) Naveen Arora said negotiations continued for seven hours, with Arvind repeatedly asking police to leave and insisting the matter would be settled in the next morning. The situation escalated after a gunshot was heard from inside the room, prompting police to launch a rescue operation.Police used stun and tear-gas grenades before breaking open the door. As officers entered, Arvind allegedly opened fire with his revolver. According to police, he fired all six rounds, while the police team responded with several rounds.Pari and Saanvi were rescued during the operation. Police said Shaurya was critically injured after being hit by a bullet fired by his father. The two girls were later handed over to relatives.The standoff followed a triple murder at the house on Tuesday evening during a religious ceremony.The deceased were identified as Mahendra Pathak (60), Akhilesh Mishra (50) and Arvind’s wife, Babita (32). Two other priests present at the gathering escaped unhurt.According to police, Arvind’s mother had invited priests to perform rituals for the peace of the soul of his brother Sunil, who was murdered in 2019. Family members said Arvind opposed the ceremony and had warned the priests against visiting the house.Police said Arvind returned home during the ritual, questioned the priests’ presence and demanded to see their Aadhaar cards. An argument followed, after which he allegedly opened fire, killing two priests and his wife on the spot.He then barricaded himself inside the house with his three children, triggering a massive police operation. Senior officers, including District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar and SSP Anil Kumar, DIG Sunil Kumar Singh and ADG Varanasi Zone, Naveen Arora reached the spot along with forensic teams. An ATS commando team was roped in for the operation.The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination, and forensic experts collected evidence from the scene. No police personnel were injured during the encounter.
