BJP inducts accused in Palghar sadhu lynching, quickly backtracks

The lynching, which took place when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was in power in the state, had triggered a political storm. The BJP, then the major opposition party, had held a ‘Jan Akrosh Yatra’, accusing the MVA government of protecting Chaudhary

MUMBAI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday was forced to quickly reconsider its decision to induct a Palghar local leader into the party, just 24 hours after welcoming him ahead of local body elections.

BJP inducts accused in Palghar sadhu lynching, quickly backtracks

The decision relates to Kailash Chaudhary, who the BJP had earlier called the “main accused” in the lynching of two sadhus and their driver in Palghar during the Covid-19 lockdown. The sadhus were stoned to death on the night of April 16, 2020, by a vigilante mob over rumours of thieves and child kidnappers operating in the area.

They were travelling from Kandivali in Mumbai to attend a funeral in Surat, when their vehicle was stopped and they were attacked and killed by a mob in Gadchinchile village in Palghar in the presence of police officers.

The lynching, which took place when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was in power in the state, had triggered a political storm. The BJP, then the major opposition party, had held a ‘Jan Akrosh Yatra’, accusing the MVA government of protecting Chaudhary. They also demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Chaudhary was then the taluka president of the undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The Congress on Monday called out the BJP for its “double standards’. Along with a video of the induction, the Congress said on social media, “BJP had once called Choudhary as the “main accused” in the mob lynching case but is now giving him a place in the party. This is the double standard of the BJP.”

NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar took a potshot at the ruling party. “BJP must have put him in a washing machine before taking him into the party,” he said.

Following the opposition’s attack, BJP state president Ravindra Chavan stayed Choudhary’s entry to the party although, he argued, Chaudhary had not been named in any of the FIRs by the investigating agencies.

Navnath Ban, who heads the BJP’s media cell, said, “Kashinath Chaudhary had been called as a witness in the Palghar sadhu lynching case but was not named as accused by the investigating agencies. According to official records, his name does not appear in any FIR or chargesheet. The decision to allow him in the party was taken only after verifying all this.”

Ban added, “However, considering the sensitivity of the matter and the widespread discussion about Chaudhary’s entry on social media and in the media, a decision was taken to put his induction on hold.”

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis justified the decision to induct Chaudhary, saying, “First, the decision was taken at the local level. Until he was with them (MVA), no allegations were made and he was clean. Today, when he joined us, he turned bad.” Fadnavis also said the investigation had been completed. “The local unit informed me that they took the decision only after verifying all the details.”