In a shocking display of mob fury, a local Congress leader, accused of involvement in the murder of a Shiv Sena worker, was lynched by irate Shiv Sainiks at an election rally near Nagpur on Friday, in the presence of Maharashtra Public Works Minister Anil Deshmukh.

Former Nagpur zilla parishad Vice-President Dhyaneshwar Sathawane was stripped and beaten to death at Tarsa village, about 40 km from Nagpur. He was brought to Nagpur’s Suretech Hospital where he was declared dead after midnight.

Deshmukh targeted

Eighteen Shiv Sainiks have been arrested so far. Deshmukh too became the target of the mob but he was rushed out of the meeting place by the police.

Police suspect it to be a case of revenge killing, as last year, a Sena member of the zilla parishad Gopal Lohabare was beheaded at Tarsa and Sathawane was accused of masterminding the murder, although there was no evidence.

Minister Deshmukh and an independent MLA Sunil Kedar were at Tarsa to campaign for the zilla parishad byelection necessitated due to Lohabare’s murder. They were campaigning for NCP candidate Laxman Umale, who is backed by the Congress, against Lohabare’s widow and Sena nominee Nanda.

The leaders bore the brunt of the attack when they tried to save Sathawane.
Deshmukh, who is an eye-witness of the incident, said his party workers and the police could do little to help.
He told a television channel that there was “threat to Sathawane from Sena leaders”.
Deshmukh said that when he finished his speech at the public meeting, a mob of 200-300 people entered the pandal and “caught hold of Sathawane and started beating him”.