Maharashtra CID finds no communal angle in Palghar lynching case

Palghar, July 16: The BJP MLA Ram Kadam today demanded a CBI investigation into the Palghar lynching case even as the state CID which is probing the incident filed two separate charge sheets on Wednesday rejecting the communal angle in the murder of two sadhus and their driver.

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It may be recalled that two sadhus – Mahant Kalpvruksha Giri (70) and Mahant Sushil Giri (35) belonging to the Panch Dashnami Akhara were lynched to death along with their 30-year-old driver Nilesh Telghade at Gadchinchle village in Palghar district near Mumbai on April 16, 2020, by an irate mob of 300-400. The mob used stones, bricks, and sticks to hit the sadhus in the presence of the police personnel who could not do anything to stop the mob.

The state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh denied any communal angle to this heinous crime and ordered a CID probe. The CID filed charge sheets on Wednesday ruling out the communal angle in this crime.

The CID charge sheets running into 11000 pages named over 250 accused in the mob lynching case and endorsed what the chief minister and the home minister had stated earlier that the killing of the sadhus was fueled by the rumors of a gang of thieves and child-lifters and not a pre-planned attack. The charge-sheets categorically denied any religious angle behind the fatal attack on the three Hindu men.

Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Satish Maneshinde said that 154 adults and 11 juveniles were named as accused in this case. The court had rejected the bail applications filed by some of the accused.

Some 25 accused had sought the bail on technical grounds. However, they were not given the bail after the SPP submitted the evidence against them to the court.

The state CID had questioned 808 suspects, recorded statements of 118 witnesses, gathered cellphone locations of the accused after they obtained videos and photographs of the lynching of Sadhus which was shot on cellphones and CCTV footage from a forest department chowki outside which the lynching occurred.

The violent mob killed sadhus: The unfortunate sadhus and their driver were heading towards Surat when their vehicle was intercepted by the angry mob at Gadchinchle village and they were dragged out and hit fatally. The poor and hapless sadhus ran helter-skelter seeking protection from the police who were around but failed to get any protection and thus succumbed to the attack from the frenzied mob on the night of April 16, 2020.

But later videos emerged which completely debunked the claim of police, as it was seen that the sadhus were in the custody of the police, but the police personnel handed them over to the mob. The mob then proceeded to beat them to death in front of the policemen.

Later, it was also reported that the killing of the Sadhus may have been intentional and politically motivated. The involvement of Christian Missionary organizations and some local NCP leaders and leftists were also suspected.

Case hearing from July 28: Meanwhile, the hearing of this case will begin at the Magistrate court at Dahanu from July 28, official sources said.

The charge sheets signify the end of the investigations into the sensational case in which two ‘sadhus’ and their driver were lynched near Gadchinchale village in the district.

The CID has invoked Indian Penal Code, Disaster Management Act, Epidemic Diseases Act, Maharashtra Police Act, and Maharashtra Damage to Public Property (Amendment) Act, with charges pertaining to murder, armed rioting, using criminal force to prevent a public servant from discharging his duties, etc.

The Opposition BJP leader Ram Kadam on Thursday questioned how the police — even without completing the investigations — could claim that the triple lynching was an outcome of rumor-mongering.

“The police are echoing the views expressed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh soon after the incident in April. We reiterate our demand that the case should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for probe,” Kadam demanded.