Īccording to reports published on 17 April, the police had tried to control the mob, but they were beaten when they tried to intervene. The Indian Express reported that the victims were mistaken for being child thieves and organ harvesters. While they were talking to the sentry the vigilante group accosted and attacked them with sticks and axes. Around 10 pm, as they were passing through Gadchinchale, 140 km north of Mumbai, a forest department sentry stopped their car at local checkpoint. Two Juna Akhara Sadhus Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70 years old) and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35 years old) along with their 30-year-old driver Nilesh Telgade were travelling to attend the funeral of their Guru Shri Mahant Ramgiri in Surat. The arrival of the vehicle at night caused the villagers to suspect that the passengers were members of the gang of child thieves. India was under a countrywide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic at the time of the incident. According to the Gadchinchale Sarpanch (village head) a rumour had been floating in the village from the messaging app WhatsApp, claiming a gang of child thieves harvesting organs was active in the area during the lock-down. Īfter rumours spread in the village about the possible activity of organ harvesting gangs and kidnappers in the area at night, the villagers formed a vigilante group. Often the fake news involves rumours of child kidnapping or roaming bandits. In the past, attacks and lynchings fueled by rumours on WhatsApp have occurred in India, where the fast propagation of fake news has led to violent outcomes. The government said that both the attackers and the victims were of same religion. On 22 April, Maharashtra Home Minister, Anil Deshmukh posted a complete list of people arrested, stating that none of the arrested were Muslims. After the incident, rumours were spread to stoke religious tension. Īs of 4 May, 115 villagers have been arrested by the Maharashtra police on charges of murder and an investigation is ongoing. Policemen who intervened were also attacked four policemen and a senior police officer were injured. The vigilante group of villagers had mistaken the three passengers as thieves and killed them. The incident was fuelled by WhatsApp rumours of thieves operating in the area during the countrywide coronavirus lockdown. On 16 April 2020, a vigilante group lynched two Hindu Sadhus and their driver in Gadchinchale Village, Palghar District, Maharashtra, India.
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