Indian man "sacrifices" himself at Hindu temple

LUCKNOW, India, Aug 23 (Reuters) - An Indian man "sacrificed" himself by slitting his throat in front of a Hindu deity at a temple in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, police said.

Natha Ram Pal, 45, 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 told Reuters.

"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 (30 miles) north of the state capital, Lucknow.