Man sacrifices himself in Lucknow

Lucknow: A man "sacrificed" himself by slitting his throat in front of a Hindu deity at a temple in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, police said.

Fort-five-year old Natha Ram Pal, a father of four, shocked devotees at the village temple when he picked up a knife and slashed his throat in the courtyard.

He was rushed to a hospital where he died, senior police officer Dawa Sherpa said.

"The temple has a history of people sacrificing their tongues on new moon nights to fulfil their desires," Sherpa said.

"But even that has not been heard of in recent times." Pal's family described him as an "obsessively religious person", who spent most of his time at local temples in the village, about 50 km north of the state capital, Lucknow.