Palghar lynching case: Three more cops suspended

After transferring 35 police personnel of Kasa police station, Palghar superintendent of police (SP) Gaurav Singh on Tuesday evening suspended three policemen with

After transferring 35 police personnel of Kasa police station, Palghar superintendent of police (SP) Gaurav Singh on Tuesday evening suspended three policemen with immediate effect, for “dereliction of duty” in the April 16 lynching case in Gaddchinchale village.

HT Image

Two sadhus and a driver were lynched to death by a mob of around 500, of which 110 were arrested by the Kasa police on 17 April and were remanded in police custody till 30 Apil by the Dahanu court.

“On Tuesday night, assistant sub-inspector (API) Ravi Salunkhe, constable Naresh Dhodi and constable Santosh Mukhne have been suspended,” said police sub-inspector (PSI) Hemant Katkar, PRO, Palghar police.

With this, the SP has suspended a total of five policemen. Earlier, API Anandrao Kale and PSI Sudhir Katare were suspended.

Furthermore, around 35 policemen (the entire Kasa police station staff) including head constables, ASIs, police naiks (PNs) and other police constabulary force, were transferred in one go to different police stations and some to the police headquarters in the district. A total of 47 policemen from the district have replaced them, said Katkar.

The state Crime Investigation Department (CID) is probing the case on the orders of the CM Uddhav Thackeray.

Two sadhus — 70-year-old Kalpavriksha Giri Maharaj and 35-year-old Sushil Giri Maharaj of the Juna Akhara and 30-year-old driver Nilesh Telgade were travelling in a car from Kandivli to Surat to attend the funeral of a senior Sadhu when near Gaddchinchale village a huge mob of 500 lynched the trio to death.