Dhule lynching: Maharashtra Opposition leader Dhananjay Munde demands SIT investigation

Nagpur: Describing the Dhule lynching incident as “very disturbing”, the Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde on Wednesday demanded a probe by a SIT and compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the kin of the deceased. Five persons belonging to a nomadic tribe were lynched by a mob in Rainpada hamlet in Dhule district on 1 July on suspicion of being “child-lifters”. [caption id=“attachment_3848267” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde. PTI[/caption] “This incident is the fallout of the state government’s failure to provide security to the deprived sections,” Munde told the council. The Monsoon Session of the state legislature is currently underway in Nagpur. He demanded a probe into the incident by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Superintendent of Police. “The kin of the each deceased should be paid Rs 25 lakh. The government should also provide job to one member each from the family of the deceased,” he demanded. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the families of victims would be paid Rs 10 lakh compensation and will be rehabilitated. Questioning circulation of fake messages on social media, Munde said, “In a new trend, news trending on social media is picked up by electronic media and then by newspapers without checking their veracity”. “This is a very serious issue and the state government should bring a law to check spread of such rumours on social media,” the NCP leader said. He said rumours are also being spread against the Opposition as well as the ruling party, but no action is taken against the culprits. “Whatever action was taken is very selective,” he said. MLC Kapil Patil said members of nomadic tribes are living in fear since the Dhule incident. “These communities go from place to place seeking alms as they are landless and uneducated. However, they are now scared,” he said demanding a census on the community. Patil alleged that “Manusmriti-inspired mindset” was also responsible for the lynching. “The government should act against such mindset,” he said, adding that some people are making irresponsible statements and promoting blind faith. MLCs of various parties, including ruling Shiv Sena, also expressed concerns over the Dhule incident. Neelam Gorhe (Shiv Sena) demanded that the lynching case be tried in a fast track court. She also demanded formation of a task force or a commission to look after the needs of the nomadic community. The chief minister had already announced that the lynching case would be fast-tracked.