Man quizzed in Palghar lynching case commits suicide

A 32-year-old man, who was among local villagers interrogated by the police in connection with the mob lynching of three persons in April, has allegedly committed suicide, police said on Monday. The man, Vinus Dharma Dhangada, was found hanging from a tree in a forested area near villager Chinchpada in Palghar district on Saturday, the rural police said.

His body has been sent for post-mortem and the Kasa police have registered a case of accidental death, they said, adding no suicide note has been found. The cause of the extreme step taken by Dhangada was not yet known, the police said. Dhangada was a resident of Chinchpada, located adjoining village Gadchinchale, where three persons, including two sadhus, were killed by a violent mob on April 16.

Dhangada was not an accused in the lynching case, but he was among villagers interrogated by the police team probing the lynching incident, a senior officer of the Palghar police said. In fact, almost all residents of Gadchinchale and some others of the nearby villages had been interrogated by the probe team, he said.

Only those suspected of being involved in the brutal attack were arrested, the officer said. More than 100 people have been arrested so far in connection with the lynching case. The three victims, the sadhus and their car driver, were attacked by the mob amid rumours that thieves were roaming in the area during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, police had said.