19 more arrested for Palghar mob lynching, 5 minor detained

The Maharashtra CID Crime Branch has arrested 19 more persons, one of them aged 70, in connection with the lynching of two sadhus and their driver by a mob in Palghar district in April, an official said on Wednesday. Besides, five juveniles were detained by the police in connection with the April 16 incident which took place in Gadchinchale village under Kasa police station limits of the district, he said.

The arrests and detentions took place on Tuesday, the official said. Those arrested included a 70-year-old man, an M Tech degree holder and a professional employed as a manager in a well-known company, he said. The official said so far 248 accused have been arrested for the mob violence, of which 105 have been granted bail. Also, 15 minors have been detained so far in the case, he added.

Those arrested on Tuesday were produced before a local magistrate on Wednesday and remanded in 14-day judicial custody, their counsel Amrut Adikari said. The five minors were produced before a juvenile court at Bhiwandi in adjoining Thane district and sent to remand home, he said. The brutal mob attack took place amid rumours that child-lifters were roaming in the area during the lockdown.

The case, initially probed by the Palghar police, was later handed over to the CID, which has already filed charge-sheets. The lynching victims were identified by the police as Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70), Sushil Giri Maharaj (35) and their driver Nilesh Telgade (30). 

(Image Credits: PTI)