The villagers who killed two sadhus in the Palghar district of Maharashtra in April 2020, were Hindu.

In order to avoid any communal tension, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had clarified that both the victims and accused were Hindu.

In order to avoid any communal tension, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had clarified that both the victims and accused were Hindu.On April 16, 2020, a mob lynched two sadhus Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70) and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35) - and their driver Nilesh Telgade (30) at Gadchinchale village in Palghar district, 140 km north of Mumbai, NDTV reported.

According to the report, the three men were attacked after rumors that they were "kidnapping children to harvest organs, including kidneys." They were rushed to the hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries. After the incident, several visuals also emerged showing angry residents of the village, armed with sticks and stones, attacking a police team as they try to rescue the three men.

After the incident, the District Collector of the region told NDTV that "110 people have been taken into custody".

Soon, several social media posts starting stroking religious tensions and claiming that it was a communal incident. However, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh clarified and said that "there was nothing communal about the incident," the BBC News reported. He added that "both victims and attackers belonged to the same religion."

On January 16, a special court in Maharashtra's Thane district granted bail to 89 accused, The Hindu reported.