However, the saffron party rejected the claim and said the two persons mentioned are not members of the BJP.
Mumbai| On Thursday, Maharashtra Congress claimed that two of the 101 arrested in the Palghar lynching case are BJP office-bearers. The Congress further said that the saffron party was trying to communalise the incident for the political interests.
The Congress also asked questions over the Central government’s alleged hesitation on passing independent law on mob lynching despite a Supreme Court directive on the same.
On Thursday, Sachin Sawan, Congress general-secretary and spokesperson, in a press conference presented documents to verify the claim that two of the Palghar lynching case arrested are BJP office-bearers.
On Wednesday, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh published the list of 101 arrested in Palghar mob lynching case.
Congress spokesperson said that accused number 61 and 65 on the list, Ishwar Nikole and Bhau Sathe respectively, are local office-bearers of the BJP and were featured on party’s official Facebook page of Dahanu circle.
He added, “The two accused were felicitated by the BJP’s local office-bearers in a programme organised during Fadnavis government’s rule in the state. We have released the pictures of the programme establishing the identity. Not only the two but even few more accused in the Palghar lynching belong to the saffron party. The party has not taken any action against the accused.”
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Sawant said: “Former chief justices of India, Dipak Misra in July 2018 and Ranjan Gogoi in July 2019 had directed the central government to enact the special law. Why is the Centre sitting on these directives for over two years? Union home minister, who was quick enough the call Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray after the Palghar lynching, has done nothing to enact this law.”
Gadchincle, where the three people were lynched by a violent mob on Thursday last on suspicion that they were child-lifters, sarpanch Chitra Chaudhary can also be seen in one of the pictures, Sawant said, adding the BJP is ruling the village panchayat for the last 10 years.
Sachin Sawan said the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, of which the Congress is a part, will bring all those involved in the lynching episode to arrest.
When contacted to comment on the claims, state BJP spokesman Keshav Upadhye denied the Congress accusations.
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