CID filed chargesheets against 126 accused in the Palghar lynching case

Mumbai: The Maharashtra CID has filed two charge sheets in a court here against 126 accused in the Palghar lynching case where two monks and their driver were beaten to death by a mob three months ago

Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submits a charge sheet in Palghar lynching case.

— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2020

The team probing the incident examined 808 suspects and 118 witnesses to collect strong evidence against the accused, the CID said in a release.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed the chargesheets, one running into 4,955 pages and another of 5,921 pages, on Wednesday in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) at Dahanu taluka in Palghar district located adjoining Mumbai, the probe agency said.

The chargesheets were filed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (CID) Vijay Pawar, the investigating officer in the case, at the JMFC court in Dahanu against 126 accused.

Besides sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the accused were charged under relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, the Epidemic Diseases Act (since the lockdown was in force during the incident), the Maharashtra Police Act and the Maharashtra Damage to Public Property (Prevention) Act. They were also charged with murder, armed rioting and using criminal force to prevent a public servant from doing is duty, among other offences.

What was the incident? 

Two monks and their driver were lynched by a mob at Gadchinchale village in the district on April 16 when they were traveling in a car to Surat (Gujarat) to attend a funeral amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, police said.

The brutal mob attack took place amid rumors that child-lifters were roaming in the area during the lockdown, they have said. The case was later handed over to the CID for a probe.

Noted lawyer Satish Maneshinde has been appointed as the special public prosecutor in the case. The victims were identified by the police as Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70), Sushil Giri Maharaj (35) and their driver Nilesh Telgade (30).

After the incident caused an uproar, the state government suspended Kasa police station in-charge Anandrao Kale, under whose jurisdiction the crime took place, and some other policemen, including sub-inspectors.