Palghar lynching: 'No one informed us that a mob killed my brother'

No one informed us that my brother had been killed We heard about his death on news said Rakesh Tiwari the brother of Kalpavrishkgiri Chikne Maharaj who was lynched in Palghar earlier this month from Uttar Pradeshs Bhadohi taluka where the deceased priests family livesOn the night of April 16 a frenzied mob of close to 450 tribals lynched 70yearold Chikne Maharaj another priest and their driver suspecting them to be thieves at Gadchinchale village While the incident made headlines across the nation Chikne Maharajs family learnt about his death only two days laterRakesh told midday over the phone that neither the police nor the authorities in the state informed them about his demise We learnt through the news two days later that Kalpavrishkgiri had been brutally murdered in Palghar he saidKalpavrishkgiri had left his home in Uttar Pradesh at the age of nine and was reunited with his family after 20long years When Kalpavrishkgiri was nine years old he left home for Gramsabha Bhusavla school at Bhadohi one day and never returned We searched for him across the town but didnt find him After reuniting with him 26 years later the family learnt that he had gone to Nashik to become a monk Rakesh saidWe found his address when Kalpavrishkgiri was about 35yearold and learnt that he had become a priest After leaving UP he had gone to Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple to become a monk and later moved to Mumbai He was a priest at Vandevi temple at Jogeshwari East We accepted him and I used to meet him whenever I visited MumbaiKalpavrishkgiri wanted to attend the last rites of our mother who died on March 22 said Rakesh adding that he couldnt make it to Uttar Pradesh due to the lockdown in Mumbai announced by the Maharashtra government in an attempt to contain the spread of the novel CoronavirusOn March 22 I called to my brother to inform him about our mothers demise but due to the restrictions he could not attend her funeral He was our mothers favourite son Rakesh told midday Rakesh said Our wish was to attend my brothers final rites but we received the information very later and that too from the mediaHe also accused the police of failing to save his brothers and the two others with him The videos clearly show that the police surrendered my brother to the mob who then brutally thrashed him to death said Rakesh adding that the police could have saved KalpavrishkgiriNot a single police officer informed us about his death Rakesh told middayTilghate was driving Chikne Maharaj and Sushil Giri to Surat where the duo were headed to attend the last rites of a head priest Ramgiri Maharaj However they came across the tribals who were enraged by the rumours that a gang of child lifters were active in the region While the police maintain that close to 450 people were part of the mob a local leader had said as many as 2500 tribals had gatheredthat night16 AprilDay the two priests and their driver were lynchedCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news