The men accused of killing three men in Palghar have been arrested and are in jail. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on he has spoken to Union home minister Amit Shah and assured him that he would look into the case. More than 100 people are in custody. The attack took place at a spot close to Mumbai.
Indicating that the three men were attacked as a result of mistaken identity, the Chief Minister said the villagers heard rumours about the presence of thieves in the area and thought they were the culprits."Don't make it communal. There is no communal angle involved," he said.
A tweet from the Chief Minister's Office read: "Those trying to inflame passions, must desist from doing so. There is no Hindu-Muslim angle or communalism in this attack. Two policemen were suspended immediately"..
Another tweet read, "Do not try to create misunderstandings. I spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah ji. Amitji knows there is no communal angle here. I told him we must search for all those fanning passions on social media."
Two of the men killed were sadhus, the third was the driver of the car they were travelling in.
Gripping visuals from Gadchinchale village show locals with sticks and stones, attacking a team of police officers as they tried to rescue the men. In one of several videos of the assault, a man can be heard shouting "Oye, isko maro (Hey, hit him)". The 70-year-old can be seen begging for his life.
Other videos show the villagers attacking a police car, shattering its windows and windshield, and pushing it till it rolls over.