Priest killed as SUV hits tree in UP

Banda (UP), Oct 16  A 65-year-old priest was killed and two others were injured after their SUV hit a roadside tree when the driver tried to avoid hitting a stray cattle, police said on Wednesday.

Sri Sri Shantipuri Maharaj, the chief priest of Baraudiya Kalan Shantipuri Ashram in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, died on the spot near Mahua village under Girwa police station limits here on Tuesday, they said.

The ‘mahant’ was returning from UP’s Chitrakoot in his vehicle, along with a disciple, the police said.

While trying to avoid hitting the cattle, the priest’s driver Rahul lost control of the vehicle and it hit a roadside tree, they said.