One year of Maharashtra's Palghar mob lynching case

It is one year since the ghastly mob lynching incident of Palghar district of Maharashtra.

Two sadhus, Kalpavriksha Giri Maharaj (70), Sushil Giri Maharaj (35) and their driver Nilesh Telgade (30), were brutally lynched to death on 16 April, 2020 in the Gadchinchale village in Dahanu tehsil of Palghar district, nearly 120 kms from downtown Mumbai.

The two Nashik-based sadhus belonged to the Varanasi-headquartered Shri Panch Dashnam Juna Akhara, the biggest order of sadhus in India.

Few days before the incident, there were rumours that robbers had come to the village to steal kidneys particularly of children and sell them in the black market. This led to the villagers mounting a round-the-clock vigil. The sadhus and their driver were attacked by a group of nearly 500 villagers suspected them to be kidnappers.

The Gadchinchale village comes under the Kasa police station of Palghar district police.

The incident shook Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray as the tri-party Maha Vikas Aghadi came under fierce attack of the opposition BJP.

Also read: FACT-CHECK | Palghar lynching incident falsely communalised on social media

Just little over four months in office after breaking three-decade-old ties with BJP and joining hands with the ideologically diametrically-opposite Congress-NCP, Thackeray’s Hindu credentials were questioned by opposition parties – and the matter raged on social media platforms.

Besides, the Covid-19 pandemic had just broken out and the lockdown was in force – and with great difficulty the government could sail out of the crisis.

As per the 2011 Census, the village has a population of 1,298 residents of which 93 per cent are from the Scheduled Tribes or Adivasis. The village lies on the border that Maharashtra shares with the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The sadhus were on their way to Surat in Gujarat for the funeral of their guru Mahant Shri Ram Giri when the incident took place past midnight.

The case was handed over to the state-CID, which carried out the investigations.

A total of 251 accused were arrested – by the Palghar police and then the state-CID. The accused include 13 juveniles.

More than 70 of the accused are still in custody.

Three chargesheets have been filed and the case - and the trial have started.

Veteran lawyer Satish Maneshinde is the special public prosecutor while Amrut Adhikar and Atul Patil are representing the accused.

The then home minister Anil Deshmukh had sent then Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh on forced leave while 35 officers, other ranks and staff of Kasa police station were transferred.

Three policemen -- assistant police inspector Anandrao Kale was dismissed, while assistant sub inspector Ravi Salunkhe and constable Naresh Dhodi – were compulsorily retired.