Palghar Lynching: Maha govt warns against floating 'communal angle', says attackers and victims were of 'same religion'

In what is now rapidly developing to be a highly contentious issue, an angry mob, armed with axes and sticks, at the Palghar village in Maharashtra on Sunday had lynched to death three persons, including two sadhus, under suspicion of them being thieves. Now the Palghar Police have arrested as many as 110 persons, including nine juveniles, in connection with the lynching incident.

While 101 people have been remanded in police custody till April 30, the nine minors have been sent to a juvenile home in the state. The police said that further investigation is being conducted into the matter.

"110 people have been arrested in this case out of which 9 are juvenile. 101 people have been remanded in police custody till 30th while 9 have been sent to a juvenile home. Further investigation is going on in the matter. An inquiry has also been initiated to look into the incident," the Palghar Police tweeted.

110 ppl have been arrested in this case out of which 9 are juvenile. 101 people have been remanded in police custody till 30th while 9 have been sent to juvenile home. Further investigation is going on in the matter. An enquiry has also been initiated to look into the incident.

— Palghar Police (@Palghar_Police) April 19, 2020

The shocking incident occurred when these men were travelling from Mumbai's Kandivali towards Surat in Gujarat in a Ford EcoSport car to attend a funeral on Thursday night. Their vehicle was stopped by a mob, consisting mostly of 70-80 local villagers, in the Palghar district and the trio was lynched under suspicion that they were thieves and kidnappers. The villagers also attacked the police personnel when they tried to stop the rampaging mob and some policemen also sustained injuries in the incident.

The cops have said that the accused in the mob are all local Adivasis from the Vikramgad Taluka and the Gadchnchale village in the Dahanu Taluka in the district.

Now the incident is rapidly growing controversial and attaining a communal colour, especially as leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have pointed out that the victims of the lynching incident were wearing saffron robes.

Horrific video of a mob lynching in cops’ presence in #Palghar Maharashtra, run by @OfficeofUT whr a few days ago a cop & doctor had been assaulted.

Media downplayed, said “mistaken suspicion as robbers” & suppressed that they were in Hindu religious robes.

Why this hypocrisy?

— Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) April 19, 2020

Even the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), while delivering a statement on the Palghar Lynching incident, said that the organisation condemns the three murders. At the same time, the VHP also questioned the police's role in the incident, stating, "Our organisation has urged the state and the central governments to take the stringent action on whoever found guilty in the incident. We also demand that a high-level inquiry committee be constituted to look into the entire matter properly. Either a Special Investigation Team (SIT) should be formed, or the CBI should probe this mob lynching case."

However, the Maharashtra state government has warned against insinuating communal tensions via this incident. Home Minister of the state Anil Deshmukh took to Twitter to inform that the attackers and the victims did not actually belong to two separate religions, thereby debunking floating rumours on social media which were communalising the situation. Taking a strict stance against these rumours, Deshmukh said that the Maharashtra police will take drastic action against those who are needlessly trying to create a religious dispute.

हमला करनेवाले और जिनकी इस हमले में जान गई - दोनों अलग धर्मीय नहीं हैं।
बेवजह समाज में/ समाज माध्यमों द्वारा धार्मिक विवाद निर्माण करनेवालों पर पुलिस और @MahaCyber1 को कठोर कार्रवाई करने के आदेश दिए गए हैं।#LawAndOrderAboveAll

— ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) April 19, 2020

Reacting to the Palghar incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also said, “The Palghar incident has been acted upon. The police have arrested all those accused who attacked the two sadhus, one driver and the police personnel on the day of the crime itself. Nobody guilty of this heinous crime and shameful act will be spared and they will be brought to justice in the strongest way possible.”

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also condemned the incident and said that "it is disturbing especially when we are going through such tough times, otherwise too."

... ensure that people who are responsible for this are brought to justice at the earliest.
(2/2)

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) April 19, 2020

This is a developing case. Further details will be updated as and when they appear.