Palghar lynching: Accused held, Uddhav against ‘communal twist’

Those accused of lynching three men – two sadhus and their driver – in Maharashtra’s Palghar, have been arrested, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said. He has also sought the Union government to take action against those giving the incident a communal colour.

In a tweet on late Sunday, Thackeray said the accused were arrested the same day the crime was committed. “Nobody guilty in this heinous crime and shameful act will be spared and they will be brought to justice in the strongest way possible,” he added.

CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray addressing the State https://t.co/IicTWk6t7w

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) April 20, 2020

On Monday, he said in a video message he received a call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah who himself said there is no communal angle to the Palghar mob lynching incident. He said he has urged him to take action against those giving the incident a communal colour.

“I have urged him to initiate action against those who are giving a communal twist to the Palghar mob lynching, which is factually incorrect. I also informed him my government is definitely going to take action against the perpetrators,” Thackeray said.

The state government has already ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident that took place on April 16. State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh earlier warned against giving any communal colour to the incident as two of the three deceased were believed to be seers.

Deshmukh said those who attacked and who died in the Palghar mob killings are not from different religions. “I have ordered Maharashtra police and @MahaCyber1 to take action against anyone instigating communal hatred in the society or on social media,” he said in a tweet on Sunday.

Related news: Villagers lynch three on suspicion of being thieves in Maharashtra

“Police have detained 101 people involved into the killing of three Surat-bound people in Palghar. I have also ordered high level inquiry into this killings,” he said. Deshmukh said police are keeping an eye on those who wanted to use the incident to create a rift in society.

Palghar police on Monday suspended two policemen for alleged dereliction of duty in the wake of the incident that took place on April 16 night when three men from Kandivali in Mumbai were going in a car towards Surat in Gujarat to attend a funeral. Their vehicle was stopped near a village in Palghar.

The three were dragged out of their car and beaten to death with sticks by a mob on suspicion that they were thieves. The deceased were identified as Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70), Sushilgiri Maharaj (35), and their driver Nilesh Telgade (30).

(With inputs from agencies)