LUCKNOW: Responding to the lynching of two seers of the Juna Akhara and their driver in Palghar district of Maharashtra, UP CM Yogi Adityanath on Monday called up his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray to urge strict action against the culprits involved in the crime.
“Spoke to Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray yesterday evening regarding murder of saints of Juna Akhara Swami Kalpvrikshgiri, Swami Sushilgiri and their driver Neelesh Telgarhe. I have urged him to take strict action against the culprits,” CM Yogi said in a tweet in Hindi.
In another tweet, Adityanath said, “The Chief Minister of Maharashtra said that some persons have been arrested and strict action will be initiated against the rest of the accused after their identification.”
Meanwhile, in a series of tweets, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said that his government had already taken action in the Palghar incident. “The Palghar incident has been acted upon. The police have arrested all those accused who attacked the 2 sadhus, 1 driver and the police personnel, on the day of the crime itself,” he posted on Twitter.
“No guilty involved in this heinous crime and shameful act will be spared and they will be brought to justice in the strongest way possible,” the CM said in a late night tweet.
The incident had taken place on the night of April 16 when three men from Kandivali in Mumbai were going to Surat in a car to attend a funeral. Their vehicle was allegedly stopped near a village in Palghar district. The trio was dragged out of the car and beaten to death with sticks by a mob on suspicion of being thieves.
The deceased were identified as Maharaj Kalpavrikshagiri (70), Sushilgiri Maharaj (35), and their car driver Nilesh Telgade (30).
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s regional head Sharad Sharma said the hostility against saints in Maharashtra seemed to be a conspiracy. Seeking action against the culprits, he questioned the “silence of the intelligentsia of the country over the gruesome incident.”
Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) chief Mahant Narendra Giri said saints and religious figures associated with different Akharas would march to Maharashtra to stage a protest against the killings of the Hindu religious figures.