Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday (April 20) said that the mob lynching of three men, including two sadhus, was an unfortunate incident, stressing that his government will ensure that those involved in this heinous crime get maximum punishment.
CM Thackeray said that the men wanted to go to Surat in Gujarat from Maharashtra and they were stopped by police personnel at Dadra and Nagar Haveli and were asked to return to Maharashtra due to the nationwide lockdown. According to the Maharashtra CM, the three men then decided to take a route which passed through a village in order to enter the Gujarat border. CM Thackeray said that the men were lynched by villagers because of the rumours that they were thieves but the police have taken strict action and over 100 people have been arrested so far in connection with this case. The Maharashtra CM noted that the incident is not communal and no one should try to do politics over this matter.
The Shiv Sena chief also said that he has talked to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over this incident and the latter has assured full cooperation to the state government for a fair probe in this case.
Palghar Police said that 110 accused ( of local tribal community) have been arrested out of which 9 are juvenile. The probe is handed over to CID Crime and IG Konkan is directed to enquire into police action. Two police officers are suspended for dereliction of duty.
On Sunday (April 20), Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had said that a high-level probe had been ordered into the Palghar mob lynching incident in which three people were killed by a rampaging mob armed with axe and stick on Thursday night.
“Police have detained 101 people involved in the killing of three Surat-bound people in Palghar. I have also ordered a high level inquiry into these killings,” Deshmukh tweeted.
The Maharashtra Home Minister, however, warned the people against giving any communal colour to the incident and said that the police should keep an eye over those who will try to use this incident to create division in the society.
The shocking incident occurred when these men were travelling from Mumbai’s Kandivali towards Surat in Gujarat in a car to attend a funeral on Thursday night. Their vehicle was stopped by a mob and the trio were lynched on suspicion that they were thieves. The villagers also attacked the police personnel when they tried to stop the rampaging mob and some policemen also sustained injuries in the incident.