In a shocking revelation, one of the total 115 accused arrested in the case of horrific lynching of the Hindu sadhus in Palghar in Maharashtra, has been tested positive for the coronavirus.
The disclosure was made by Dr Dinkar Gavit, Medical Superintendent of Palghar Rural Hospital. The 55-year-old accused in the Palghar lynching case, who was found to be Corona positive, was held in police custody at the Wada police station. At least 43 people he came in contact so far have been quarantined and tested for the infection. This includes 23 police personnel and 20 other accused.
According to Dr Gavit, the swab test of the accused which was taken on April 28 was found to be negative. However, another test was conducted on Saturday morning and it turned out positive. He was then admitted to the Rural Hospital, but after seeking approval from higher authorities, the accused is now being shifted to the jail ward of JJ hospital in Mumbai.
The accused who was tested positive for COVID-19 hails from Divya-Vakipada in Dahanu and was arrested by the casa police on April 17. Since then he is been locked up along with 20 other accused in the murder of the sadhus.
The 115 accused were produced in Dahanu court which ordered them to police remand till May 14. The accused have been kept in batches in lockups in Wada, Dahanu, Casa, Vikramgarh, Talasari and other police stations to avoid overcrowding in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
It is also pertinent to note that the accused who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus is asymptomatic and has so far exhibited no signs of infection. However, as a precautionary measure, coronavirus test of 43 people including 23 police personnel and 20 other accused with whom he was locked up in the jail is ordered and their swab samples have been taken. About 170 coronavirus cases have been reported in Palghar district so far and 10 people have died of the contagion. At the same time, 59 people have recovered from this COVID-19.
Palghar Mob Lynching incident
On 16th April 2020, two Sadhus associated with the Juna Akhara, 70-year-old Kalpavrishka Giri Maharaj, and 35-year-old Sushil Giri Maharaj along with their driver 30-year-old Nilesh Telgadewere were on their way from Mumbai to Gujarat to give Samadhi to another Sadhu. At Gadakchinchale village, a wild and frenzied crowd of over more than 100 people attacked them. The villagers deemed them as thieves and started attacking them. The police claim that their team which had rushed to the spot to rescue the 70-year-old man also came under the attack of the violent mob.
But later videos emerged which completely debunked the claim of police, as it was seen that the sadhus were in the custody of the police, but the police personnel handed them over to the mob. The mob then proceeded to beat them to death in front of the policemen.