VHP seeks President’s intervention in Palghar lynching case

New Delhi, May 3: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has sought President of India’s intervention to direct the central and the Maharashtra State Government for a speedy and impartial investigation and speedy and efficient prosecution in the Palghar lynching case.

In a memorandum submitted to the President Ram Nath Kovind, VHP President Justice (Rtd) V. S. Kokje and Secretary-General Milind Parande urged him to ‘use your good offices’ to impress upon the Central and State Governments the urgent need of getting the matter dealt with by a Central Investigating agency at the earliest.

The two sadhus of Panchdashnami Juna Akhara namely, Mahant Kalpvriksha Giri (70) and Mahant Sushil Giri and their driver Nilesh Telghade were brutally done to death by an agitated mob laced with sticks, sickles, bricks and stones in Palghar’s Gadchinchle village on the night on April 16. The incident came into limelight only after three days of its occurrence.

The Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh underlined that there was no communal violence element in this incident as this seems to have taken place due to some ‘misunderstanding’. The police have arrested some 100 plus persons involved in this crime and the investigations are going on. The Supreme Court too has stepped in and directed the state government to submit the progress of investigation within four weeks to the apex court.

Against this background, the VHP office-bearers alleged that the State Government was not taking the matter seriously and is trying to cover up the failure and inaction of the police in protecting the victims. They, therefore, urged the President to impress upon the central and the state government for a detailed probe into the incident by the Central Investigating agency at the earliest.

Speedy and impartial investigation of the matter and speedy and efficient prosecution of the case is needed to get the culprits punished as early as possible to restore the confidence of Hindus of the Country at large and of the area in particular in the law enforcement agencies, the VHP memorandum emphasized.

Giving details of the incident the VHP memorandum said that the sadhus were on their way to attend the funeral of a Saint at someplace in Gujarat. It is said that when they were passing through the village Gadchinchle at about 09-00 pm they were attacked by a group of villagers. When the village Sarpanch came to know about this, she came to their rescue and tried to dissuade the group of attackers. When she found that the group was determined to harm them, she took them to the nearby forest chowki (outpost).

While they were at the Forest Chowki, the group of attackers followed them and some of them called for reinforcement from their colleagues in the nearby villagers as a result of which a large mob armed with lathis, iron rods, sickles, etc. collected and gheraoed the Forest Chowki and started demanding that the three persons be handed over to them.

Seeing that the situation was going out of hands, someone informed the Police and after some time armed policemen arrived at the Forest Chowki. The Sarpanch was also compelled to leave the place. This had no effect on the mob whose leaders were instigating them to take these three persons in possession and punish them.

For two-three days, the incident was tried to be hushed up by the local administration and when the public outrage increased due to the attack video going viral on the social media, false version of the incident was given out that the lynching took place under a misunderstanding due to a rumor spread in the area that child lifters have come in the area and they may take away children from the area.

As there was not a single incident of kidnapping reported from the area by then, it was not possible that a large number of people would be incensed to the extent of gathering in a mob during the night and mercilessly killing three persons in cold blood under the mistaken belief that they were child-lifters.

The VHP further alleged that the circumstances obviously point to a premeditated conspiracy to terrorize Hindus of the area to facilitate carrying on anti-Hindu activities in the area. In the First Information Report (FIR) lodged with the Police also, it has been alleged that the mob lynching was carried out in furtherance of a conspiracy.

The State machinery was trying to suppress the truth by giving false excuses. Murder of three innocent persons by an armed mob in the presence of policemen was a serious matter but the State of Maharashtra was treating it as just ordinary crime committed due to a misunderstanding, the VHP alleged.

To this date, the main leaders of the murderous mob were not arrested. Efforts are being made to belittle the incident for political considerations and to save the administration from ignominy. Only departmental action has been initiated against the policemen and no crime has been registered against them despite the fact that in videos of the incident the policemen are seen virtually handing over the victims to the mob, the memorandum said.

Local residents of the area are sure that it is not a crime committed under any misunderstanding but a planned murder of Hindu Sanyasis because they were Hindu Sanyasis. Large-scale anti-Hindu propaganda is being carried on in the area by some nonpolitical and political leftist organizations like the Communist Party of India, Marxist (CPM), and Christian Missionaries operating in the area carrying on proselytizing activities.

They naturally, consider Hindu Sanyasis and social workers as the main hurdle in their way. For decades the area has seen anti-Hindu activities. The local MLA belongs to CPM which has a sizeable following in the taluka. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has also a sizeable following in the area and gets support from the Christian Missionaries against Parties like BJP and Shiv Sena, the VHP mentioned.

The possibility of involvement of these elements in the mob lynching cannot be ruled out under the circumstances, the memorandum said adding that the State Government, however, seems to be in a great hurry to explain away the incident on the excuse of a false rumor. As such, it has not ordered any judicial inquiry into the incident. A Police Officer has been asked to enquire in the matter. Kingpins of the murderous mobs are still at large, the VHP said.

The entire Hindu Society, various Hindu Organizations, including Saints and religious leaders of all sects of Hindus are deeply hurt, pained, and disturbed by the ghastly murders. They have condemned the murders and inaction of the police in the matter in no uncertain terms. They have also expressed their apprehension about the matter being trivialized for political considerations by the State Government and demanded that the matter be thoroughly investigated through a Central Agency.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad also feels that the State Government was not taking the matter seriously and was trying to cover up the failure and inaction of the police in protecting the victims. We, therefore, humbly submit this representation to your Excellency with a request to use your good offices to impress upon the Central and State Governments the urgent need of getting the matter dealt with by a Central Investigating agency at the earliest, the VHP memorandum said.

The memorandum urged the President to direct the state and the central government for a speedy and impartial investigation of the matter and speedy and efficient prosecution of the case is needed to get the culprits punished as early as possible to restore the confidence of Hindus of the Country at large and of the area in particular in the law enforcement agencies.