An angry mob in the Palghar district lynched 3 people in a horrific crime as the police team of six failed to protect the victims. Ruling out any communal angle to the incident, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has come out and said that the incident was triggered by a rumor.
The video of the heinous crime has been circulated widely on social media and has drawn flack on the mob culture and has raised questions on the Maharashtra Government. The incident comes as Maharashtra is grappling with the biggest health and economic crisis as it reported over 500 cases in a single day.
A car with the 3 victims was stopped midway Gadchinchale village in the Kasa taluk of Palghar district by a mob. The 3 people were dragged out of the car and were beaten to death. The police that reached the incident upon receiving the information failed to protect the victims as the mob reportedly attacked the police and vandalized the police vehicle. The three men were identified as Sushil Giri Maharaj (35), Nilesh Telgane (35) and Maharaj Kalpavrikshgiri (70). Out of the three, two were Sadhus. They were reportedly headed for a funeral in Surat.
Uddhav Thackeray clarifies on the communal angle
The three men were on their way to Gujarat during the lockdown in the country and were stopped at the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and was told to return. The incident took place while returning as the villagers fell into a rumor. Uddhav Thackeray also said that had the Union Territory authorities taken the men into custody for violating the lockdown, the incident wouldn’t have panned the way it did. By saying so, Uddhav Thackeray has rubbished the claims of any communal angle to the incident.
According to a few sources, the mob acted upon a rumor that suggested that three people were thieves who were taking advantage of the lockdown to loot the village. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray put out a tweet informing that all the accused have been arrested and assure that no guilty will be left unpunished. State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced that a high-level inquiry into the matter has been ordered.
Source: The Hindu
