Based on rumours, despite lockdown mob of 500 gathers and murders three innocent persons in the presence of police officials.
Mumbai: The lynching of three persons, including two sadhus by a mob of 500 odd villagers in Palghar district is not just a result of rumours and misunderstandings among the villagers. The investigation in the incident of Palghar district, by TheNews21 reveals that Maharashtra police power packed claims of tight nakabandis in lockdown has clearly failed to seal the borders as the sadhus travelled several check-posts without any hurdle. The sadhus along with their driver were killed right under the nose of Riot Controlling Platoon (RCP) and a team of 10 police officials from local police station in Palghar.
The lynching of sadhus along with their driver by mob of 500 villagers in Gadchinchale in Dahanu Taluka, Palghar district was the outcome of unmitigated rumours of ‘thieves in the district’, misunderstanding amongst the villagers after seeing the ‘outsider’ vehicle and failure of the police in the matter. The lynching of sadhus created lot of political row between opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ruling Maha-Vikas-Aghadi (MVA).
This is how the sadhus travelled on the ungrateful day, April 16 and were brutally murdered by the huge mob of 400-500 people from Gadchinchale in Dahanu, Palghar.
JOURNEY OF SADHUS: On April 16, the Eeco car with its ill-fated passengers Mahant Kalpavruksha Giri (70), Sushilgiri Maharaj (35) and driver Naresh Yelgade (30) had started off after a lunch from Kandivali in the Western suburb of Mumbai. Yelgade was hired from Jogeshwari by Sushilgiri Maharaj. The two sadhus had decided to reach to Surat for the funeral of another sadhu.
The Eeco car with the two sadhus travelled and crossed various check nakas without any hurdle. It passed through Dahisar Check naka, the last exist from Mumbai district. The travel route of the Eeco and its victims led them to Ghodbunder Check Naka popularly known as Fountain Plaza Toll Naka, then on to Vasai district and entry point at Khandivade maintained by the IRB infrastructure and Charoti Toll Naka. The route was taken by the driver to ferry his passengers to Surat.
However at Charoti Naka the Eeco was intercepted and asked to go back. During their return journey, they now took the route of the state highway via Jawahar -Silvasa, the Eeco was prohibited by the state Forest department chowky almost at a distance of 1 km from Gadchinchale by the forest guards.
The forest guards alerted the villagers of Gadchichale on the sadhus in a private vehicle coming from Mumbai.
GADCHINCHALE: Within few minutes, about 400 to 500 men gathered on the highway the border of Maharashtra and Dadra-Nagar Haveli in Dahanu taluka, gheraoed the Eeco.
In the first week of April, there were strong rumours had spread and the Palghar police had tweeted warning people against spreading rumours including coronavirus. The police had spread the message that no incidence occurred of kidnapping or theft of organs.
Meanwhile, the rumours were thieves or kidnappers barge into village and take the children to sell the organs. The thieves or kidnappers impersonate themselves thus, the twin village, Diwashi and Gadchichale panchayat had started patrolling in nights.
Thus, around 8 PM, on April 16 villagers from Gadchinchle, Diwashi, Dabhadi, Talavli and Rudana came on highway with torchlights and bamboo sticks.
The Forest department had also alerted the local police station Kasa as Gadchichale does not have any police station.
THE TWO HOURS: As Kasa Police station received the information of persons trying to impersonate and were found near Gadchinchale they approached the local leader Kashinath Choudhari, member of Palghar Zilla Parishad and the party’s losing candidate from Dahanu in the 2014 Assembly election.
By the time, Choudhari reached with Kasa Police and RCP Platoon, the Platoon in another police van was stopped on the way by another mob. Choudhari and with Anandrao Kale, assistant police inspector with other police staff reached at the spot. The victims were in Eeco and sacred for their lives.
Kale, in his FIR states that he with his subordinate Sudhir Katare Police Sub-Inspector got off and rushed to rescue the sadhus and driver. Mahant Kalpavruksha Giri was made sit in the chowky.
“I tried persuading the mob not to harm the sadhus and hand them over to police however they did not agree. They had misconception that the sadhus in such a strict lockdown cannot travel from any place. They were trying to impersonate and who were here for organ theft. Since they have been connected for me, now about 12-years I thought they will agree to my request and let the sadhus go with Kasa Police officers,” said Choudhari.
The mob of about 400-500 attacked brutally with bamboos, sickles on the sadhus and driver, and they succumbed due to their injuries.
Choudhari narrates that for two-hours the sadhus were pleading but none were ready to listen. Apparently the sadhus did not have their identity cards to show their real identities.
EYEWITNESS: Gadchinchle Sarpanch Chitra Choudhari who resides exactly between the border point, she came out after hearing commotion when the mob had just gathered. Chitra had persuaded them not to harm them however she claimed in her statement to police none paid attention and in fact threatened her.
Chitra also claimed that NCP leader Choudhari was leading the mob however the senior officers denied her allegation leveled against him.
PALGHAR SP SPEAKS: Gaurav Singh Suprintendent of Police (Palghar) while talking on the mob lynching issue cleared lot of misconception on the incident. He said,”It is not the case of any religious group. The Sadhus were murdered by the Hindu mob who had misunderstanding on them leading to the social media rumours. The villagers originally Adivasis had attacked on April 14 out of the same rumours. “
Singh told that Kashinath Choudhari, the NCP leader although seen in the videos surfaced after lynching did not provoke or led them to killings of Sadhus”. He tried persuading the mob, but all his attempts failed.”
It is surprise for Palghar police also that why the sadhus did not take emergency passes to travel to Surat and why they were not stopped or prohibited from proceeding ahead with their journey?
The police reached at the spot however the RCT van reached later and within two-hours the mob had gone out of hand killed both sadhus and their driver.
Meanwhile the Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has tasked the investigation to the CID of the state for the impartial investigation into killings of Sadhus.
The HM Deshmukh released the list of accused on his Twitter account. The minister broadcast list of 101 alleged accused in public domain.
It also emerged that two sadhus Maharaj Kalpavrikshgiri and Sushil Giri Maharaj belonged to the Varanasi based Shri Panch Dashnam Juna Akahara.
