Man found hanging dead in Lira Hindu temple

Police in Lira City in northern Uganda are investigating circumstances under which a man allegedly died by suicide in a Hindu temple where he was employed as a causal worker.
Authorities said Deogratius Opio’s body was at around 6am on Wednesday found hanging in BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple in Lira City East Division.

Opio has been serving as a cleaner and caretaker of the temple located on Agora Road, Junior Quarters. 

North Kyoga Regional Police Spokesman, SP Jimmy Patrick Okema said that some of the witnesseses interviewed by police said that on June 6, 2023, Opio bought bottles of soda and shared them with the security guard and a cook “requesting to be remembered”.

“Later that evening, he entered the security room at the gate where he had been sleeping while the cook and the guard went to their posts. At around 6am, the temple occupants could not locate Opio. They noticed that the temple premises had not been cleaned, which was unusual. This prompted them to start searching for him. They later discovered his lifeless body hanging from the top of the temple, near the water tanks,” Mr Okema said in a press statement on Wednesday afternoon.

He said the police report was filed by one Richard Aporo, 50, a supervisor of a corporate security company and a resident of Anai ward, Lira City West Division.
The district police commander, Officer in Charge of Criminal Investigations Department and a team from the homicide unit visited the scene. 

“The CCTV camera footage at the temple was reviewed and the scene was thoroughly photographed and documented by the scene of crime officers (SOCO). Opio’s body was taken to Lira Regional Referral Hospital mortuary for a postmortem,” Mr Okema said.
He said statements were obtained from the reporter (Mr Aporo) and proprietor of the temple as part of the ongoing investigation.