Who was Palghar mob lynching victim saint Kalpavriksha Giri Maharaj?

The mob lynching of three men, including two saints Kalpavriksha Giri Maharaj (70 years), Sushil Giri Maharaj (35), in Maharashtra's Palghar on April 16 has triggered a political slugfest with the BJP and other parties accusing the state government of failing to take action against those involved in the incident. The shocking incident took place when the two saints along with a driver of the vehicle were on their way to Surat in Gujarat. 

Kalpavriksha Maharaj belonged to Vedpur village in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi district. His childhood name was Krishnachand Tiwari and his father's name was Chintamani Tiwari.

Kalpavriksha Maharaj was the fourth among six brothers in the family and his four brothers live in Mumbai. One of his brothers had died few years ago.

Kalpavriksha Maharaj decided to become a saint when he was in class three and he left Uttar Pradesh to come to Nashik where he learned vedas and puranas and became a monk. 

Kalpavriksha Maharaj was a regular visitor at the Vanvasi Temple in Mumbai's Jogeshwari. He also used to visit Pimpleshwar Mandir in Kandivali to meet Sushil iIri, the other saint who was also lyunched by rampaging mob in Palghar.

Zee News team visited the scene of crime and talked to several local people to know more about the incident and many people who wished to remain anonymous hinted that the lynching of the saints was part of a political conspiracy.

The local residents of the area said that the tribals living in Palghar had never assaulted any sadhu in the past, adding that in facts the sadhus are accorded a lot of respect by the tribals. 

Notably, Palghar is dominated by tribals and it is a bastion of Communist and like-minded parties. The village where the saints were lynched falls under Dahanu Assembly constituency of Palghar and the incumbent MLA of Dahanu, Vinod Nikole, is from Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPM.