PURULIA: Three sadhus hailing from
Bareilly
in
UP
, who had come to Purulia on their way to
Gangasagar
, were assaulted Thursday over suspicions that they were "child-lifters".
On Friday, 12 locals were arrested in connection with the assault. Residents also lodged a complaint against the three sadhus, alleging stalking and kidnapping of local girls.
BJP leaders targeted West Bengal government over the attack, comparing the incident with the lynching of two sadhus in Palghar in April 2020.
Purulia police and Trinamool Congress, however, said a language barrier sparked the rumours of abduction which led to the attack, adding "facts are being misrepresented".
The three sadhus, accompanied by two others, were travelling in a car, and had stopped at Gourangdih More in Kashipur police station area, where they asked three minor girls about the way to a local brick kiln, as they wanted to meet its owner for alms.
The girls, who were going to a temple, got scared as they saw strangers approach them, and suspecting them to be child-lifters, fled from the place. Soon, men and women gathered there with lathis, vandalised the car, dragged the men out, took them to a local temple and bashed them up.BJP MP from Purulia took the sadhus to Kashipur town Friday, where party supporters felicitated them. Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar also spoke to them over the phone.
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