Two 'sadhus' were stabbed to death and another injured inside a temple premises by unidentified persons yesterday triggering mob violence in the Bidhuna area of Auraiya district, police said. Enraged at the killings, a mob set some shops ablaze and pelted stones forcing the police to fire in the air, they said. The situation was brought under control even as there was heavy deployment of security personnel to maintain law and order, they said. The exact motive for the crime was not immediately clear, police said adding they suspected the victims' opposition to cow slaughter could be one reason.

Additional DG (Kanpur range) Avinash Chandra said the priests were found lying in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds on their necks and other body parts inside the Bhayanak Nath temple in Kudarkot area under Bidhuna police station. Additional Superintendent of Police, Auraiya, Rajesh Kumar Saxena told PTI, "The incident took place around 3 am, when three 'sadhus' (Hindu monks) were attacked by unidentified men." Auraiya is around 180 km from Lucknow. Police suspect the monks were attacked as they opposed some people who were allegedly into cow slaughter.