**52-Year-Old Pujari Allegedly Commits Suicide in Kandivali West**
Mumbai: A 52-year-old pujari allegedly committed suicide in Kandivali West on Saturday. In the early hours, he reportedly hanged himself with a pancha from a ceiling fan inside a temple.
**Preliminary Investigation Findings**
Initial investigations have revealed that the pujari had purportedly sought sexual favours from a 19-year-old girl. Following this, the girl and her father approached the police to file a complaint against him. Shortly after their visit, the pujari allegedly took his own life.
The Kandivali police have registered an accidental death report, and a probe into the matter is currently underway.
**Details of the Deceased**
The deceased has been identified as Rajesh Goswami, a priest at the Tarkeshwar Mahadev temple in Laljipada, Kandivali West. He resided in the same area and had been serving at the temple for around seven to eight years. Originally from Madhya Pradesh, Goswami was a father to four children, including two daughters. His son is also a priest.
His body was discovered hanging at around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday after someone informed the police. Officers arrived promptly and transported the body to Shatabdi Hospital, Kandivali West, for a post-mortem examination.
**Circumstances Leading to the Incident**
Further investigation revealed that Goswami had sent a message to the young girl requesting sexual favours. The girl confided in her father, who accompanied her to the Kandivali police station at approximately 1:30 a.m. to report the matter.
The police advised them to return in the morning to complete the paperwork but simultaneously began searching for the priest. Despite their efforts, Goswami could not be located. Later, police confirmed that he had ended his life inside the temple located at Laljipada, Ganesh Nagar, in the western suburb.
No suicide note was recovered, according to a police official.
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https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-tragedy-52-year-old-priest-dies-by-suicide-in-kandivali-temple-after-complaint-of-sexual-misconduct-probe-underway
