2 minor boys beaten on theft suspicion at temple

Bareilly: Two minor boys, aged 12 and 14, were allegedly beaten by a group of people on the suspicion of theft at a Hanuman temple in Shahjahanpur on Tuesday morning, police said.The incident happened at the Kachhiyani Kheda Hanuman temple on the Lucknow-Delhi national highway, where devotees gather in large numbers every Tuesday and Saturday.Police said the boys were present on the temple premises when some devotees claimed that the purse of one of them was stolen. Suspecting the two minors, a group of people caught them and dragged them outside the temple complex.Before the boys could explain, they were allegedly assaulted with slippers, kicks and punches. Eyewitnesses said the boys kept pleading, but the crowd continued to beat them.The minors were later tied to a pillar inside the temple premises and beaten with sticks. Videos of the incident have surfaced on social media. In some clips, the temple mahant, Baba Ram Lakhan Giri, is also seen present at the spot, though the authenticity of the videos has not been independently verified.Police personnel were also allegedly present on the temple premises at the time of the incident. Officials reached the spot after being informed by a local vendor, Lokesh, who sells puja items near the temple. The boys were rescued and taken to hospital. Meanwhile, a woman, Suman, a resident of Pipariya village in Nigohi area, filed a complaint alleging that the boys had stolen her purse and her child's silver anklet.SSP Rajesh Dwivedi said a probe is on.