A video of four Hindu sadhus from Uttar Pradesh being mercilessly thrashed in Maharashtra on suspicion of being child-lifters has evoked angry reactions. The state’s ruling BJP government is facing widespread condemnation for the attack on sadhus, who were on their pan-India tour.
The reported attack took place in Lavana village of the Sangli district of Maharashtra.
The police under the BJP government have said that they did not receive any complaint in this regard. Sangli SP Dikshit Gedam, according to news agency ANI, “We have not received any complaint or formal report, but are looking into the viral videos and verifying the facts. Necessary action to be taken.”
According to reports, these sadhus were travelling in an SUV when they stopped in the village to ask a boy for directions to a temple in Pandharpur from neighbouring Karnataka’s Bijapur. This reportedly prompted the locals to suspect that they were child-lifters.
The development has caused outrage on social media with netizens attacking the BJP government for not ensuring the safety of sadhus.
Even Sadhu’s aren’t safe under the BJP Govt in Maharashtra. https://t.co/sdOCMe5ZhX
— thakursahab (@65thakursahab) September 14, 2022
– बच्चा चोर गैंग समझ 4 साधुओं की बुरी तरह पिटाई
– सांगली जिले के लवंगा में चौंकाने वाली घटना
– उत्तर प्रदेश के मथुरा से चार साधु कर्नाटक में भगवान के दर्शन के लिए आए थे।
रात के समय गांव के एक मंदिर में रुके थे #Maharashtra #Sangli #sadhu #palghar #mumbai pic.twitter.com/DsLJ3g5dff— rahul shukla (@rshukla676) September 14, 2022
Sadhus are not safe in Maharashtra even after @BJP4India ruling the state?
The same media directly blamed the then MVA government during earlier attack on Sadhu and now no mention of BJP led government? https://t.co/OEZRecfn8w— Anis Ahmed (Gen. Secretary, PFI) (@AnisPFI) September 14, 2022
Four sadhus had earlier stopped to visit a temple in the village. However, their decision to ask a boy for directions after they resumed their journey that proved costly for them.