Politics Erupts Over Palghar Mob Lynching; BJP, Congress, CPI-M Play Blame Game

While BJP pointed fingers at the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, the later accused saffron outfit of communalising the incident.

Two 'sadhus' and their driver were lynched by a mob outside Gadchinchle village in Palghar district. (Representative Image/ AFP)

Mumbai: Days after Maharashtra witnessed the horrific mob lynching of three persons in Palghar district, a political slugfest erupted between political parties including Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M). While BJP, the Opposition party in Maharashtra, pointed fingers at the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, the later accused the saffron outfit of communalising the incident. Two 'sadhus' and their driver, proceeding from Nashik to Surat, were cornered and lynched by a 200-strong mob outside Gadchinchle village in Palghar district on April 16 in the presence of police personnel amid rumours that they were robbers or child kidnappers. Demanding a high-level probe into the incident, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said that after viewing the visuals that have come out, "the Palghar inident of mob lynching is shocking and inhuman". ALSO WATCH | Politics Gains Heat Over Palghar Lynching Earlier, BJP National Secretary Sunil Deodhar had alleged: "No adivasi in India can attack a saffron clad person unless brainwashed over the years."  This political mudslinging only got complicated after the Vishva Hindu Parishad too jumped into the fray earlier in the day. VHP Secretary General Milind Parande called the incident an "ambush" against "two venerated saints" and alleged that the incident was part of a "deeper conspiracy". Meanwhile, Congress has slammed the BJP for playing politics over the issue of Palghar incident. It said that the brutal incident happened amidst police presence as the mob overpowered the police and beat up the victims. "BJP is playing politics at very disturbing moment in society's history and the Congress will issue a detailed statement on it," said Jairam Ramesh. The political slanging match went triangular after CPI-M jumped into the blame game and targetted the BJP and RSS for attempting to give a communal colour to the incident. CPI (M) leader Ashok Dhawale said that the police must also probe how the car with official permit was allowed to take a remote route on the Maharashtra border with Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli, instead of travelling via the Mumbai-Surat National Highway, at that late hour during lockdown. ALSO WATCH | Rumours Took The Life Of Three People In Maharashtra's Palghar The CPI (M) also slammed BJP's central and state leaders for making attempts to give the incident a communal colour and make false accusations against the Left party activists instead of going to the root cause of rumour-mongering that has been rampant in the district for the past few days. Earlier in the day, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said that the Centre has sought a report on the incident, but he ruled out the involvement of any communal groups in the case, which happened in a remote state border area accessible only via the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli in view of bad roads. "There is no involvement of any religious or communal groups; it's a mob-lynching case. Any person attempting to give it a communal colour will be dealt with strictly," Thackeray warned. ALSO WATCH Palghar Incident: 2 Police Officials Suspended, 110 Others Arrested The victims of the mob lynching were: Chikne Maharaj Kalpavriksha Giri, 70, Sushilgiri Maharaj, 30, from the Shree Panch Dashnam Juna-Akhada order, and their driver Nilesh Telwade, 30. According to reports, the mob also attacked the policemen and damaged two police vans, including one in which the sadhus were shifted by the cops. The Kasa police station lodged a case late on Friday and arrested over 100 persons who are remanded in police custody. Further investigations are underway. (With inputs from IANS)