Three men were reportedly lynched by a mob of about 200 people on the night of Thursday, 16 April, on the suspicion of being thieves. When the police intervened to save the trio, the mob turned on the cops and assaulted them too, reported Hindustan Times.
The incident took place near a village in Dabhadi Khanvel road in Maharashtra’s Palghar district.
The deceased men who have been identified as Sushilgiri Maharaj, Nilesh Telgade and Jayesh Telgade by India Today, were reportedly travelling to Nashik in a vehicle. Their Eeco van was apprehended by the mob that first pelted stones and then reportedly pulled the three out of the vehicle and beat them with sticks and rods.
“The mob was strong and we tried to save the passengers but it also targeted us and started to pelt stones while beating them and as a result, the trio succumbed to their injuries.”Anandrao Kale, API, Kasa police station to Hindustan Times
The two passengers and the driver who were attacked were declared dead when they arrived at the Kasa government hospital.
About 110 villagers have been taken to the police station and are being questioned about the incident, reported ANI. Cases have been registered under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including murder, disobedience of a public servant and also under the Disaster Management Act 2005, and Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, reported Hindustan Times.
This is the second such attack in the last week. Assistant Police Inspector Anand Kale and three other police officials and a doctor were also reportedly attacked by villagers earlier this week on a similar suspicion.
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