Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday urged Union home minister Amit Shah to take action against those giving communal colour to the lynching of three men by a mob in Palghar district.
The state government has already ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident that took place on April 16.
State home minister Anil Deshmukh earlier warned against giving any communal colour to the incident, as two of the three deceased were believed to be seers.
In a video message, Thackeray said he received a call on Monday from Amit Shah who himself said there is no communal angle to the Palghar mob lynching incident.
'I have urged him to initiate action against those who are giving a communal twist to the Palghar mob lynching, which is factually incorrect. I also informed him that my government is definitely going to take action against the perpetrators,' Thackeray said.
The chief minister earlier said stern action will be taken against those involved in the lynching of the three men.
'The Palghar incident has been acted upon. The police has arrested all those accused who attacked the 2 sadhus, 1 driver and the police personnel, on the day of the crime itself,' Thackeray tweeted late Sunday night.
'Nobody guilty in this heinous crime and shameful act will be spared and they will be brought to justice in the strongest way possible,' he added.
Deshmukh said those who attacked and who died in the Palghar mob killings are not from different religions.
'I have ordered Maharashtra police and @MahaCyber1 to take action against anyone instigating communal hatred in the society or on social media,' he said in a tweet on Sunday.
'Police have detained 101 people involved into the killing of three Surat bound people in Palghar. I have also ordered high level inquiry into this killings,' he said.
Deshmukh said police are keeping an eye on those who wanted to use the incident to create a rift in society.
On April 16 night, three men from Kandivali in Mumbai were going in a car towards Surat in Gujarat to attend a funeral when their car was stopped near a village.
The three were dragged out of their car and beaten to death with sticks by a mob on suspicion that they were thieves.
The deceased were identified as Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70), Sushilgiri Maharaj (35), and their car driver Nilesh Telgade (30).
Palghar police have suspended two policemen for alleged dereliction of duty in the wake of the incident.
Meanwhile, social activists and religious organisations condemned the incident.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad national spokesperson Shriraj Nair called a it a barbaric incident and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation, adding that it was a failure of the police.
He also took a swipe at 'activists and actors who are eager to pounce on issues of mob lynching when it comes to a particular community'.
Social activist Anjali Damania said the 'NCP-controlled state Home department was engaging in goondaraj', and cited other incidents like a man being beaten up by police staff guarding state minister Jitendra Awhad as well as the arrest of a news reporter in connection with a migrant mob assembling during lockdown on April 14 in Bandra in the metropolis.
Former IPS officer Y.P. Singh demanded a through probe and said the police could not be blamed entirely as some forest staff seen in the assault video should also have intervened to save the victims.
Former Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar blamed the local superintendent of police and said the latter's teams were yet to arrest those who spread rumours that led to the lynching.
Over 100 people have been arrested so far in the case, officials have said
