Three sadhus from Uttar Pradesh were assaulted while on their way to the Gangasagar Mela in West Bengal’s Purulia district on Thursday (11th January) evening. A video of a mob attacking the sadhus has gone viral on social media. An unruly mob can be seen pulling the seers by their hair, stripping them naked, hitting them with sticks while more mobsers try to surround them.
Another video shows the sadhus joining their hands as a man aggressively interacts with them. A huge crowd can be seen cornering the sadhus while a small police presence tries to keep the mob away. All this unfolded on the suspicion that the sadhus were kidnappers.
The incident comes as a reminder of the blood-curdling lynching of sadhus in Palghar in 2020 when a similar attack was launched on two sadhus by a mob in police presence leading to their death. They two were brutally beaten and killed over the suspicion that they were child abductors.
A case in this regard was registered at the Kasipur Police Station and raids are being conducted to arrest the attackers. 12 accused have been arrested so far. The sadhus were rescued and provided transport means to the Gangasagar Mela.
Meanwhile, the TMC government in Bengal is receiving massive backlash with critics holding accountable CM Mamata Banerjee’s of Muslim appeasement politics for the anti-Hindu sentiments. The BJP has hit out at the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
BJP leader Amit Malviya wrote on his X handle, “Absolutely shocking incident reported from Purulia in West Bengal. In a Palghar-kind lynching, sadhus travelling to Gangasagar for Makar Sankranti were stripped and beaten by criminals, affiliated with the ruling TMC. In Mamata Banerjee’s regime, a terrorist like Shahjahan Sheikh gets state protection and sadhus are being lynched. It is a crime to be a Hindu in West Bengal.”
Absolutely shocking incident reported from Purulia in West Bengal. In a Palghar kind lynching, sadhus traveling to Gangasagar for Makar Sankranti, were stripped and beaten by criminals, affiliated with the ruling TMC.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) January 12, 2024
In Mamata Banerjee’s regime, a terrorist like Shahjahan Sheikh… pic.twitter.com/DsdsAXz1Ys
BJP West Bengal posted from its X handle, “Shame on Mamata Banerjee’s deafening silence! Are these Hindu Sadhus not worthy of your acknowledgement? The atrocity demands accountability.”
Shame on Mamata Banerjee's deafening silence! Are these Hindu Sadhus not worthy of your acknowledgment? The atrocity demands accountability. #JusticeDenied https://t.co/sAwpRrrzil
— BJP West Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) January 12, 2024
West Bengal state BJP president Dr Sukanta Majumdar wrote on X, “Shocking incident from Purulia; Sadhus en route to Gangasagar were stripped and beaten by criminals linked to TMC, echoing the Palghar tragedy. Under Mamata Banerjee’s rule, a terrorist like Shahjahan gets state protection while sadhus face violence. Being Hindu is a crime in WB.”
Shocking incident from Purulia; Sadhus en route to Gangasagar were stripped and beaten by criminals linked to TMC, echoing the Palghar tragedy. Under @MamataOfficial’s rule, a terrorist like Shahjahan gets state protection while sadhus face violence. Being Hindu is a crime in WB. pic.twitter.com/qAzlOTtR2i
— Dr. Sukanta Majumdar (@DrSukantaBJP) January 12, 2024
According to reports, a man and his two sons – all of them sadhus – were travelling to Gangasagar for the Makar Sankranti festival. They had hired a vehicle for their journey. When they inquired about the route, some locals became suspicious, leading to an agitated crowd accusing them of kidnapping. Subsequently, the sadhus were assaulted.
More details in this case revealed that three teenage girls who the sadhus had asked for directions from screamed and fled, triggering suspicion among the locals who then caught hold of and attacked the sadhus.
A video from the scene also shows the mob vandalizing a police vehicle. As the situation escalated, local police intervened, rescued the sadhus, and transported them to the Kasipur Police Station.
Abhijit Banerjee, Purulia Police Superintendent said that a case was registered and investigation was underway. He also said that raids were being conducted to apprehend those involved in the assault. As per latest updates, 12 accused were arrested by West Bengal police in this case.
Notably, on 16th April 2020, two Hindu sadhus were brutally lynched to death by a frenzied mob of more than 100 people in the satellite town of Palghar, close to 100 kilometres from the country’s financial nerve centre and the capital of Maharashtra, Mumbai.
Two seers of Juna Akhara, Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70), and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35) were lynched along with their 30-year-old driver by a mob. The incident took place at Gadchinchale village in Palghar district, Maharashtra. They were on their way to Surat, Gujarat. The police were present at the scene, but they allegedly did not try to stop the mob or do anything to save the sadhus.
