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The Chilling Story of Kanpatimar Shankariya, Who Claimed 70 Lives
Known as Kanpatimar Shankariya, the serial killer was linked to a series of deadly attacks across Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana in the 1970s. Later, arrested in Bathinda in 1974
Kanpatimar Shankariya: The Serial Killer Who Terrorised Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana
In the 1970s, a series of deadly attacks across Rajasthan and neighbouring states left people afraid to travel or sleep without fear. The man later known as Kanpatimar Shankariya was linked to many of these crimes.
According to the 2026 book India’s Most Dangerous Serial Killer by journalist Rakesh Goswami, Shankariya killed nearly 70 people in around 18 months. He was arrested in Bathinda on 3 June 1974 and was later sentenced to death. The Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in a murder case in 1978.
The attack at a gurdwara
One of the cases linked to Shankariya took place at a gurdwara in Takhat Hazara village, in Rajasthan's Ganganagar district. On the morning of 9 September 1973, a man named Shyam Singh went to the gurdwara for his usual morning duties. Inside, he found three men lying on separate cots.
Kartar Singh was dead, with serious head injuries. Mada Singh was badly injured and groaning in pain. Wazir Singh had also been injured. Shyam Singh returned to the village and brought other people back to the gurdwara. They found that the locks of the rooms had been broken and belongings had been scattered. Mada Singh was taken to hospital but died on 11 September. Wazir Singh survived.
The Rajasthan High Court and Supreme Court records document this attack and the investigation that followed.
Police look for a pattern
The gurdwara attack was not an isolated case. The Supreme Court judgment noted that similar murders and attempted murders had taken place in Rajasthan and neighbouring Punjab and Haryana.
In Ganganagar district alone, 15 cases involving similar crimes were registered between February 1973 and May 1974. Investigators began examining the similarities between the attacks. Many victims had been attacked while sleeping, and the crimes involved theft.
The name Kanpatimar came from the Hindi word kanpati, which refers to the temple area on the side of the head. The name described the repeated pattern of attacks in which victims were struck on the head.
A man waiting by the roadside
According to accounts of the case, some witnesses described seeing a man sitting beside a road with a blanket covering him. Other accounts described sudden attacks on people travelling alone at night. The 2026 book by Rakesh Goswami also describes Shankariya entering homes, attacking people while they slept and stealing money and valuables. The book says that after some attacks, he would eat, smoke bidis or take a bath before leaving. In one incident, he reportedly found only two rupees.
These details come from the book's reconstruction of the case and should be understood as reported accounts.
Arrested in Bathinda under another name
Police eventually focused their investigation on Shankariya, who was absent from his native village in Rajasthan. On 3 June 1974, a police team went to Bathinda and arrested him. The Supreme Court judgment confirms that he was using the name Rattan Lal. A driving licence issued in Bathinda in that name was among the items seized during his arrest.
During the investigation, Shankariya made a confession before a magistrate. He later withdrew that confession during the trial, but the courts considered it along with other evidence.
Conviction and execution
Shankariya was convicted in the gurdwara case for the murders of Kartar Singh and Mada Singh. He was also convicted for the attempted murder of Wazir Singh and other offences connected to the attack. The Rajasthan High Court confirmed the death sentence. On 26 April 1978, the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal and upheld the conviction and death sentence for the two murders.
According to his publisher, Shankariya was hanged at Jaipur Central Jail on 15 May 1979. His final words have been reported as: “I have murdered in vain. Nobody should become like me.”
His case remains part of India's recorded crime history and offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by police investigators in the 1970s.