NCP strongly backs CM Uddhav over shocking Palghar mob lynching; tells BJP 'no politics'

Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil on Monday asked the BJP not to politicise the Palghar lynching incident in which three persons including two ascetics were beaten to death by a mob apparently on suspicion that they were thieves. Referring to a tweet of BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra, Patil, a Cabinet minister in the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in the state, said the NCP had no involvement into the incident.

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In his tweet, Patra shared one of the videos of the Palghar lynching and asked people of Maharashtra to identify a person seen in it. Replying to Patra, Patil tweeted, "Stop misleading. Gadchinchale Gram Panchayat in Palghar is ruled by BJP and the Sarpanch Chitra Chaudhari was present at the time of incidence. NCP has no involvement in the incident. A partyworker had gone to venue on the police request. Stop politicizing the issue".

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Palghar mob lynching

The shocking incident took place on the night of April 16 in Palghar district of Maharashtra when two ascetics Mahant Kalpavruksha Giri and Sushilgiri Maharaj were travelling in a vehicle driven by Nilesh Yelgade to Gujarat for attending a funeral. The aforesaid three individuals were lynched by a mob who allegedly suspected them to be child kidnappers after they reached Gadchinchale village in Dahanu taluka. Reportedly, a group of 4 policemen reached the spot after the Kasa Police Station received phone calls. Their attempts to pacify the mob turned futile as the mob overturned the vehicle. Later, another police contingent arrived on the scene and managed to make the three individuals sit in two separate police cars. Thereafter, the crowd attacked the police vehicles, resulting in some police personnel sustaining injuries. 

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However, some videos have emerged which show police personnel standing mutely even as the mob was attacking the three persons. This has come in for a lot of criticism from leaders across the political spectrum. According to the Maharashtra Police, 110 accused persons including 9 juveniles have been arrested for the mob-lynching. The adults are in police custody while the latter have been sent to a children's home. Addressing the people of the state, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray revealed that two policemen had been suspended. Mentioning that DG CID Crime Atulchandra Kulkarni was investigating the matter, he stressed that the incident was not communal. Thackeray has spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding this horrific incident. 

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