2020 Palghar mob lynching

On 16 April 2020, a vigilante group lynched two Hindu Sadhus and their driver in Gadchinchale Village, Palghar District, Maharashtra, India. The incident was fuelled by WhatsApp rumours of thieves operating in the area during the countrywide coronavirus lockdown. The vigilante group of villagers had mistaken the three passengers as thieves and killed them.[1] Policemen who intervened were also attacked; four policemen and a senior police officer were injured.[2][3]

2020 Palghar mob lynching
Gadchinchale
Gadchinchale (Maharashtra)
LocationGadchinchale, Palghar District, Maharashtra, India
Coordinates20.0843517°N 73.0611882°E / 20.0843517; 73.0611882
Date16 April 2020
Attack type
lynching
Weaponsstones, axes, sticks
Deaths3
Accused115 villagers, 9 juveniles

As of 4 May, 115 villagers have been arrested by the Maharashtra police on charges of murder and an investigation is ongoing.[4][5][6] After the incident, rumours were spread to stoke religious tension.[7] On 22 April, Maharashtra Home Minister, Anil Deshmukh posted a complete list of people arrested, stating that none of the arrested were Muslims.[4][8] The government said that both the attackers and the victims were of same religion.[7][3]

Background

In the past, attacks and lynchings fueled by rumours on WhatsApp have occurred in India, where the fast propagation of fake news has led to violent outcomes. Often the fake news involves rumours of child kidnapping or roaming bandits.[9][7]

After rumours spread in the village about the possible activity of organ harvesting gangs and kidnappers in the area at night, the villagers formed a vigilante group.[10] According to the Gadchinchale Sarpanch (village head) a rumour had been floating in the village from the messaging app WhatsApp, claiming a gang of child thieves harvesting organs was active in the area during the lock-down.[11][12] India was under a countrywide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic at the time of the incident.[1] The arrival of the vehicle at night caused the villagers to suspect that the passengers were members of the gang of child thieves.[11]

Incident

Two Juna Akhara Sadhus[13] Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70 years old) and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35 years old) along with their 30-year-old driver Nilesh Telgade were travelling to attend the funeral of their Guru Shri Mahant Ramgiri[14] in Surat.[15][16] Around 10 pm, as they were passing through Gadchinchale, 140 km north of Mumbai, a forest department sentry stopped their car at local checkpoint. While they were talking to the sentry the vigilante group accosted and attacked them with sticks and axes.[10] The Indian Express reported that the victims were mistaken for being child thieves and organ harvesters.[10][17][7]

According to reports published on 17 April, the police had tried to control the mob, but they were beaten when they tried to intervene.[2][18][19] Four policemen and a senior police officer received injuries in the incident.[2][3]

On 19 April, several bystander videos went viral. In one of the videos, a police officer is seen leading Kalpavrukshagiri out of a building. The mob begins attacking Kalpavrukshagiri who is seen begging for his life, while policemen try to control the situation.[20] The attackers then take him away and kill him.[21][22][20] In another video, the mob is seen breaking the windows of a police patrol vehicle. The vehicle is seen rolled over with shattered glass in yet another video.[20]

Arrests

According to the Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, 101 persons were arrested by the police within 8 hours of the offence.[23] Nine juveniles were also among those and two police officers were suspended for alleged negligence on duty, until an inquiry is conducted in the case. [4][24][7][25] The police said that all the accused were from the Vikramgad Taluka and Gadchnchale village in the Dahanu Taluka, of the Palghar district.

On 22 April, Home Minister Deshmukh posted a complete list of people arrested, and said that none of the people arrested were Muslims and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led opposition in Maharashtra was trying to make the lynching a religious Hindu-Muslim issue.[8] He stated the case was being investigated by the Maharashtra CID (Criminal Investigation Department).[26] The government said that the attackers and the victims were of the same religion.[3][7][27]

On the evening of 19 April, Chief Minister of the state Uddhav Thackeray issued the statement that culprits involved in this lynching will be brought to justice. He said that strict action should be taken against the accused, and transferred the case to the Criminal Investigation Department of Maharashtra State and Additional Director General Atulchandra Kulkarni. State home minister Anil Deshmukh announced a high-level inquiry to probe the lynching incident.[28] Thackeray said that the authorities would proceed to a speedy trial and take tough action on the accused and were also investigating the people who had spread the rumours and hate messages online.[1][29]

Reactions

This incidence attracted nationwide outrage on 19 April, after the videos went viral on social media,[16] and the Maharashtra Government received criticism.[29]

Opposition leaders including former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, demanded a high level inquiry into the incident.[30][31] On 20 April, Mahant Hari Giri, the Mahamandaleshwar of Juna Akhara demanded swift action against culprits and police responsible for the lynching.[32]

Uddhav Thackeray urged Home Minister Amit Shah to take action against those who were stoking religious tension.[33][34] Maharashtra State Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "communal politics" over the lynching. "The village Divashi Gadchinchale is known as BJP bastion for the last ten years including the post of the village head. The current head is also from BJP. Most of the people arrested in the lynching incident are from BJP." The BJP denied the charges.[35]

National Human Rights Commission of India sent a request to the Maharashtra police chief asking for a report with details of action taken against the accused and any relief provided to relatives of the victims, to be sent within four weeks.[36]

Later attacks

Another seer, Shivacharya Guru was killed in Nanded on 24 May 2020 and on 29 May 2020 one more attack happened on a seer in Palghar.[37]

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gollark: Anyway, that code: reverses some code, runs it, unXORs some more, runs it, and then loads and executes pastebin run.
gollark: <@236628809158230018> We will never know.

References
  1. "Police arrest 110 people over lynching in western India". Reuters. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  2. "3 men lynched in Maharashtra on suspicion of being robbers". India Today. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  3. "Palghar Lynching: Maha govt warns against floating 'communal angle', says attackers and victims were of 'same religion'". DNA India. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  4. "Two police officers suspended after Palghar mob lynching incident". India Today. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  5. "110 arrested over latest deadly lynch mob attack in India". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  6. "Five more arrested in Palghar lynching case, 115 so far". India Today. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  7. "More than 100 arrested over India lynching". BBC News. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  8. "Palghar mob lynching: Anil Deshmukh releases list of 101 people arrested". Pune Mirror. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  9. "Murderous mob — 9 states, 27 killings, one year: And a pattern to the lynchings". The Indian Express. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  10. Sheikh, Zeeshan (20 April 2020). "Palghar lynching: All you need to know". The Indian Express. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  11. "पालघर लिंचिंग : व्हाट्सएप से फैली थी अफवाह, सरपंच ने बताई सच्चाई". Patrika News. 23 April 2020.
  12. Panigrahi, Debasish (20 April 2020). "Everything you need to know about the Palghar attack where sadhus were lynched by a mob". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  13. "Three Men Lynched in Maharashtra, BJP Leaders Push Communal Angle". The Wire. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  14. "Could Palghar lynchings have been averted?". India Today. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  15. "Palghar mob lynching: Police take 101 into custody; all you need to know". www.businesstoday.in. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  16. "Maharashtra govt cracks whip over Palghar mob lynching: All that's happened". India Today. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  17. Zargar, Arshad R. (20 April 2020). "110 arrested over latest deadly lynch mob attack in India". CBS News. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  18. "Mob Lynching : तीन पर टूट पडी 100 लोगों की भीड़, बेमौत मारे गये निर्दोष". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  19. Mengle, Gautam S. (18 April 2020). "3 lynched in Palghar after rumours over mistaken identity". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  20. "2 Sadhus Among 3 Killed By Mob In Maharashtra, BJP Seeks Probe". NDTV.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  21. "110 arrested over latest deadly lynch mob attack in India". cbsnews.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  22. "Could Palghar lynchings have been averted?". India Today. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  23. "No Muslims among 101 accused for Palghar sadhu lynching: Maha Home Minister Anil Deshmukh". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  24. "Palghar mob-lynching: 9 out of 110 arrested are juvenile, say cops". mid-day. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  25. Singh, Divyesh (20 April 2020). "Two police officers suspended after Palghar mob lynching incident". India Today. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  26. ""101 Arrests, No Muslim": Maharashtra Minister On Sadhus' Mob Killing". NDTV.com. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  27. "Inhuman to Give Communal Colour to Palghar Lynching, Says Shiv Sena". News18. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  28. Mengle, Gautam S. (20 April 2020). "Anil Deshmukh announces high-level inquiry into Palghar lynching". The Hindu. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  29. Jaiswal, Priya (20 April 2020). "Palghar mob lynching: What we know so far". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  30. "Palghar mob lynching: Have asked Maharashtra CM to take strict action against culprits, says Yogi Adityanath". India Today. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  31. "Palghar Incident: Ex-CM Devendra Fadnavis seeks inquiry into Palghar lynching case of three men". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  32. "Akhara seers angry with police & administration over Palghar lynching of sadhus, demand swift & strict action". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  33. "Uddhav Thackeray urges Amit Shah for action against communal twist to Palghar lynching". The Times of India. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  34. "Thackeray urges Amit Shah to take action against those giving communal twist to Palghar lynching". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  35. "Political blame-game over Palghar mob lynching of Hindu seers". The Week. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  36. "No Muslim among 101 arrested over Palghar lynching: Maharashtra home minister". The Week. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  37. "Maharashtra: Unidentified Assailants Loot Temple, Attack Priests In Palghar District", Republic world, 29 May 2020
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