Four Hindu Monks Brutally Assaulted in India's Maharashtra on Suspicion of Kidnapping

Maharashtra has been an unsafe state for Hindu monks who have the targets of a slew of attacks in the past few years. In 2020, during the national COVID-19 lockdown, two monks were lynched in the state's Palghar District, triggering widespread anger among citizens and political parties.

Four Hindu monks were attacked in the Indian state of Maharashtra on Tuesday after villagers suspected them of kidnapping.

The assault took place in the village of Lavana in the state's Sangli district. Footage of the attack is now circulating on social media. In the video, an angry mob can be seen beating the monks with sticks outside a shop as several bystanders watch the scene.

बच्‍चा चोर समझकर भीड़ ने मथुरा से गये साधुओं को बुरी तरह से पीट द‍िया। घटना महराष्‍ट्र के सांगली का है। मौके पर पहुंची पुल‍िस ने क‍िसी तरह से साधुओं को बचाया है। pic.twitter.com/MIgZKfm618

— Vikash Tiwary (@ivikashtiwary) September 14, 2022

According to media reports, before they were attacked, the monks were on their way to Pandharpur, a temple town in the state's Solapur district. Since they were unfamiliar with the exact route, they asked a village boy for help, which led locals to think they were intent on kidnapping.

The district's chief of police has said that nobody has filed a complaint, but the authorities are examining videos of the attack to ascertain what happened and take necessary measures against the culprits.

Ram Kadam, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker reacted to the incident saying such "misbehavior" will not be tolerated by the state government.

"In the case of the sadhus [Hindu monks] who were killed in Palghar, the government of then state chief Uddhav Thackeray meted out punishment to them. But the present Maharashtra government will not allow any injustice against any sadhu," he wrote on Twitter referring to the lynching in 2020.