'It Is Crime To Be Hindu In West Bengal': Sadhus Stripped, Assaulted By Mob In Purulia; BJP Lashes Out At TMC

Purulia, January 12: A group of sadhus were stripped and assaulted by a mob in West Bengal's Purulia district on Friday, January 12. A video of the incident also surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) in which the sadhus were seen being thrashed by the mob. Reacting to the attack on the sadhus, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared the video on his X account and alleged that TMC-linked goons were behind the attack on the sadhus. According to Malviya, the sadhus were travelling to Gangasagar for the upcoming Makar Sankranti festival when a mob attacked them. In the video, a few men were seen thrashing a naked sadhu. Other sadhus were also allegedly stripped and beaten up by the mob.

BJP Slams TMC Over Attack On Sadhus

Reacting to the incident, Malviya wrote: "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." "In Mamata Banerjee’s regime, a terrorist like Shahjahan Sheikh gets state protection and sadhus are being lynched," he added, claiming it is crime to be a Hindu in West Bengal.

2020 Palghar Lynching

A mob lynched two Hindu sadhus and their driver at Gadchinchale village in Maharashtra's Palghar district on 16 April, 2020. The mob attacked sadhus' car believing WhatsApp rumours that thieves were operating in the area during the countrywide coronavirus lockdown. The sadhus and their driver were mistaken as thieves and killed by the mob. More than 100 villagers were arrested in connection with the lynching.