The Shiv Sena and Congress leaders have lapped up Bulandshahr killing and drawing inappropriate similarities with Palghar lynching. They are doing for obvious reasons – To score brownie points, since Yogi Adityanath is Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader.
Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut gave a communal color on the killings of seers in Bulandshahr by tweeting: “Terrible! killing of two saints , sadhus at a temple in bulandshahar,UP ,but i appeal to all concerned to not make it communal the way they tried to make palghar, maharashtra incidence.”
In reply, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s office attacked Raut for playing appeasement politics.
He tweeted: “Mr @ rautsanjay61 Yes, what can be said about your attempt to politicise the Palghar lynching. Your blood-stained comment is a reflection of your changed political ideology. This undoubtedly is the gateway to appeasement.”
Are these incidents similar at all? Let’s go into the details of the both the incidents.
Gadchinchle village, where Kalpavriksha Giri Maharaj and Sushil Giri Maharaj lynching took place, is a hotbed for political and religious supremacy with active support from Chrisitan missionaries.
The missionaries enjoy political patronage from the left-liberal groups are involved in the conversion of tribals in the region.
In recent times, Palghar and surrounding areas have become a big flashpoint between missionaries and the Hindu outfits over religious conversion.
Apart from left-liberal brigade, the missionaries get strong support from political parties like Sharad Pawar-led NCP, one of the coalition partners in the incumbent Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.
In fact, Palghar Zilla Panchayat Member and NCP Leader, Kashinath Chaudhary, was also among the mob which killed two sadhus. He has been accused of instigating the mob.
BJP’s Gadchinchale’s sarpanch Chitra Chaudhary has also said that the mob was energised after seeing Choudhari at the spot. She said that the mob began chanting ‘Dada aala, Dada aala’ (big brother is here) on seeing him, who is also seen in the videos that have gone viral on social media.
Moreover, most political parties in this area use liquor as a tool to mobilise popular support. And anybody, who opposes it, are treated as enemies.
All these facts give rise to suspicion that the lynching of Sadhus and their driver was intentional and politically motivated.
Bulandshahr incident
According to Bulandshahr police, the two priests were killed by one Murari due to personal vendetta.
The accused, Murari, might have killed the priests, who had scolded him for taking away a chimta belonging to them, said Bulandshahr SSP Santosh Kumar Singh.
Villagers also had spotted Murari walking out of village with a sword in his hand. He was nabbed two kilometres away from the village, in half-naked and inebriated condition.
The drawing of similarities of the two incidents by Shiv Sena and Congress leaders is understandable, for they have come in for a flak for maintaining law and order, following Palghar lynching of two sadhus.