A woman is fatally shot in Patiala, India for allegedly drinking alcohol near a Sikh temple; according to police, a murder investigation is ongoing. (Photo: Michael Förtsch/Unsplash)

On Sunday, in the city of Patiala in Punjab, Northwest India, a woman was shot dead over allegedly drinking alcohol near a religious temple, The Times of India reported.

Reports state that the victim, Parvinder Kaur, was allegedly intoxicated and refused to stop drinking when confronted by staff at the gurdwara, a Sikh temple, on Sunday night. She had been accused of drinking by the temple’s holy pond when an argument ensued.

The dispute turned violent when Kaur allegedly “tried to hit back at the staff with a liquor bottle,” per the report. The workers restrained her and called the police, but a devotee named Nirmaljit Singh Saini allegedly shot her several times just as officers were leading her away from the scene, according to The Times of India.

Senior Superintendent of Police Varun Sharma told The Times of India that Saini had claimed his “religious sentiments were hurt” and had acted “in the heat of the moment.”

Saini, according to the Indian news channel NDTV, surrendered to the police on the spot and handed over his licensed revolver. He was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Police are still working to establish Kaur’s origins and said that none of her family members have yet come forward. Newsweek reported that police stated she was suffering from alcoholism, and a prescription found amongst her belongings contained a note from a doctor saying she suffered from mood swings and depression.

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