Cops probing Muslim boy’s lynching seen as flag bearers in accused Hindutva outfit’s procession

The accused right-wing Hindutva organisation over abducting, inflicting severe injuries and later lynching a 20-year-old Muslim boy held a procession in Jamner town, where its members were fully saffron-clad, carrying tridents, swords, and sticks, and ironically saw the very police officials who are entrusted with probing the lynching participating in uniform as flag bearers, while neither the Maharashtra Police nor the ruling BJP government reacted to the officials’ participation in the religious procession.

The procession was organised by the Hindutva outfit Shiv Pratisthan Hindustan, which has been accused of involvement in the mob lynching of 20-year-old Suleman Pathan in August this year. The outfit, led by controversial Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide, is known for its inflammatory speeches and its public campaign advocating the replacement of the national tricolour with a saffron flag, The Wire reported.

The march took place during Dussehra as part of the organisation’s annual Navratri event, Durga Mata Daud, which culminated in a massive procession marked by aggressive sloganeering and displays of weapons.

Videos from Jamner showed police officials, including the original investigating officer of Pathan’s murder case, Murlidhar Kasar, walking at the head of the rally while carrying the saffron flag and wearing matching turbans. The officers were seen welcoming participants and showering them with flower petals, while members of the outfit chanted anti-Muslim slogans and carried weapons openly through the town’s streets.

The procession also featured a plaque proclaiming the saffron flag as India’s true national emblem, instead of the tricolour, and displayed maps depicting vast regions of South and Southeast Asia as part of a larger “Akhand Bharat” vision espoused by Hindutva groups.

The presence of the same police officers who were investigating the lynching has raised serious concerns about the impartiality of the probe. Pathan had been killed after a mob of Hindu men, reportedly linked to the Shiv Pratisthan, dragged him from a café where he was sitting with a Hindu woman.

The mob had allegedly kidnapped and assaulted him before taking him to his village, where his family members were also attacked. The investigation was initially led by Kasar before being handed over to a Special Investigation Team, though many of the accused remain at large.

Activists and local political representatives have written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Jalgaon Superintendent of Police Maheshwar Reddy, urging action against the officials who participated in the march, arguing that such conduct compromises the credibility of the ongoing investigation.

The letters described Shiv Pratisthan Hindustan as an “anti-constitutional” and “anti-national” group, known for instigating communal tensions and spreading sectarian propaganda in Maharashtra.

For Pathan’s family, the police participation has deepened their sense of despair. They have long alleged that their eyewitness testimonies were ignored and that the investigation has deliberately avoided pursuing the masterminds of the attack, some of whom are said to have political connections.

The family’s attempts to engage with the police have been met with indifference, and their belief that justice will be served has waned further after the Dussehra procession. With the chargesheet yet to be filed, the family is now considering legal options to seek a court-monitored investigation into the killing.