A roadblock outside a village near the attack site in Palghar district of Maharashtra. (Express photo by Kavitha Iyer)
The Congress on Thursday alleged that some of the accused arrested in the Palghar lynching case are directly linked to the BJP. So far, 110 men have been arrested for the lynchings of two sadhus and a driver.
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant claimed that 25-year-old Ishwar Bandhu Nikole, who has been arrested, is a member of BJP’s booth committee for Gadchinchale village. Another man who has been arrested, Bhau Sathe, is also a member of the BJP’s village booth committee, Sawant alleged while releasing photos of the accused attending a programme organised by the BJP.
Opinion | Lawless in Palghar
Questioning BJP’s alleged reluctance in acting against the two accused, he said: “The BJP should expel these people from the party if it is really serious about sadhus being lynched. Over the past few days, it has been trying to communalise the issue instead.”
The Congress also sought an Ordinance against mob lynching and questioned why the Union government was sitting on the issue inspite of a Supreme Court directive in this regard.
“The Supreme Court had given guidelines to make a law against mob lynching. Two years have passed since this order. Why has the BJP not come up with a law? Its fight against mob lynching is fake,” said Sawant.