Eyewitness account of Palghar lynching hints at political conspiracy

New Delhi: The mob lynching of three men, including two saints Kalpavriksha Giri Maharaj, Sushil Giri Maharaj, in Maharashtra's Palghar on April 16 took a new twist on Thursday (April 23) as Zee News spoke to an eyewitness to ascertain the truth behind the whole incident.

The eyewitness, who first reached the place where two sadhus along with their driver were beaten to death in front of the police on that day, is the Sarpanch, Chitra Chaudhary, of Garh-Chinchle village of Dahanu area. Chitra Chaudhary spoke to Zee News in Marathi and related the April 16 incident. 

"Around 8:30 pm, she came to know that a vehicle has been stopped at the check post where she reached in 15 minutes to see that the sadhus sitting inside the car," she told Zee News while adding that they greeted her from inside the car. Chitra said she also asked them who are they, and where do they want to go. 

While she was talking to them, the crowd punctured the tires of the car and overturned it. Chitra claimed that she strived hard to convince people till the police arrived. People were angry at her also but somehow she managed to calm them down for two-three hours. When the police reached the spot at 11 o'clock at night, two of the three people surrounded by the crowd managed to sit in the police car, but when the elderly monk came out of the forest post holding the hand of one policeman, the crowd went berserk and started beating him. 

Chitra claimed that while trying to stop the people, she was also hurt and somehow saved her life and reached home. When she reached the check post again at around 12 in the night, she saw the dead bodies of the monks and their driver. After this eyewitness account, the question arises who instigated the mob to kill the sadhus.

When the video of this incident surfaced, allegations were that local leaders and activists of NCP, as well as CPM, were in the crowd. The name of one Kashinath Chaudhary, who is the district panchayat member of NCP, also came to fore. 

Sarpanch Chitra Chaudhary said that when Kashinath Chaudhary arrived, the crowd was charged taking his name. She claimed that she could not see as to how the murder took place, but the policeman and Kashinath were present there. 

Chitra said that as per her capability, she tried to stop the mob and even put the victims in police security, but the latter failed to perform their duty. She also added that Kashinath Chaudhary could have convinced the crowd but was surprised to see that the people rather started gathering weapons. 

Earlier before the camera, she had made the same statement that in this tribal area, there was a rumour that thieves come and take the children away. The same rumour was attributed to the killing of the sadhus. But in her testimony, she said that the crowd all of a sudden was charged with anger. The sudden mood swings of the mob hints that the real motive was rather to kill the sadhus.

The role of police, however, is still under question as to why they became helpless in front of the crowd. and why did they virtually handed over the sadhus to the angry mob? 

Notably, Kalpavriksha Maharaj belonged to Vedpur village in Bhadohi district of Uttar Pradesh. His childhood name was Krishnachand Tiwari and his father's name was Chintamani Tiwari. He was the fourth among six brothers in the family and his four other brothers still live in Mumbai, while another died a few years ago.

Krishnachand Tiwari decided to become a sadhu when he was in class three and came to Nashik where he learned Vedas and Puranas. A regular visitor at the Vanvasi Temple in Mumbai's Jogeshwari, Kalpavriksha Maharaj also visited Pimpleshwar Mandir in Kandivali to meet Sushil iIri, the other saint who was also lynched in Palghar.