KURUKSHETRA: Kurukshetra police have arrested a couple for allegedly assaulting an elderly priest at a temple in Adhoni village of the district.The incident, which took place on Thursday and was captured on CCTV, triggered widespread outrage after the 74-year-old priest was allegedly beaten, suffered a fractured leg and was dragged by a cloth tied around his neck onto the road.The accused have been identified as Pankaj, a resident of Adhoni village, and his wife.Police said that on July 9, 2026, Paramjit Singh, sarpanch of Gram Panchayat Adhoni, informed the police that Baba Yogiraj Giri, the priest of the village temple, had been assaulted and was missing from the temple premises.A police team reached the temple to investigate the matter. Paramjit Singh filed a complaint stating that Baba Yogiraj Giri (74), a native of Haridwar, Uttarakhand, who had been living at the temple for the past one-and-a-half months, was attacked by Pankaj and his wife.According to the complaint, Pankaj, whose house is located opposite the temple, had been harbouring a grudge against the priest. He had also built a Nakodar Peer shrine behind his house, directly opposite the temple.The complainant alleged that Pankaj had repeatedly threatened to kill Baba Yogiraj Giri whenever he stepped out of the temple.CCTV footage from a camera installed by the Gram Panchayat allegedly shows that at around 4am on July 9, Pankaj and another man, identified as Indra, arrived in a vehicle. Pankaj’s wife then brought a stick from their house. The three allegedly dragged the priest out of the temple into the lane, threw him to the ground, and later carried him to a kutiya (room) attached to the temple, where they abandoned him.Villagers later shifted the injured priest to LNJP Hospital, Kurukshetra, for treatment.Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at Thanesar Sadar Police Station, and the investigation was handed over to Sub-Inspector Mahendra Singh.Police later arrested Pankaj and his wife on July 9. Both were produced before a court.Sarpanch Paramjit Singh said the priest lived alone at the temple and looked after its cleaning and upkeep. Villagers remain shocked by the brutality of the attack.Police said they have seized the CCTV footage and are investigating the role of all those involved, including the third person seen in the video.
