By: Express News ServiceNovember 17, 2025 07:55 PM IST 3 min readThe Maharashtra BJP on Monday stayed the induction of Kashinath Choudhary, a leader from Palghar accused of being involved in a mob lynching incident that killed two monks in 2020.ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEOThe move comes despite Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis earlier stating that the decision to induct Choudhary was taken after due diligence and only after taking all the information about him and the case he was involved in.Opposition NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar had targeted the induction of Choudhary into the BJP, calling the ruling party a ‘washing machine.’ “The mantra of the new BJP is to not follow any ethics and only aim for power. Had it not been the case, how come the party welcomed an individual whom it had accused of lynching a monk? Whoever faces allegations becomes clean when he comes to you, like a washing machine,” he said.In April 2020, two monks were allegedely lynched in Maharashtra’s Palghar district as they were allegedly suspected to be child-kidnappers and organ harvesters. The monks were driving to a funeral in Surat when a group of villagers in Gadchinchle—a tribal village in a remote part of Palghar—stopped their car and attacked them with stones, logs and axes.The incident had raised a political storm in Maharashtra. The BJP, then in Opposition, had demanded a CBI probe while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had alleged that the BJP was politicising the issue. In all, 251 people were arrested and 15 juveniles detained in the case.Pawar said there are examples like Salim Kutta, Iqbal Mirchi, Adarsh scam where people linked to these cases joined hands with the BJP and received a clean-chit. “BJP follows fake Hindutva and stoops down to any level for the sake of power. It is damaging the social fabric of the state and we will have to pay a big price for this,” said the NCP (SP) MLA.Responding to Pawar’s allegations, CM Fadnavis had said, “The person (Choudhary) was in the party of those who are levelling allegations now. Today, allegations have begun when he has come to us. I have taken all the information.Story continues below this adThe case has been investigated and several things are now out in public. Locals told me that the decision (of inducting) was taken after getting information about everything.”However, on Monday evening, after facing criticism and backlash on social media, Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan issued a directive staying the induction. The party, in a statement, said that according to official investigation records, Choudhary’s name does not appear in any FIR or chargesheet related to the case and due diligence was undertaken at the local level. “Considering the sensitivity of the subject, the induction of Kashinath Chaudhary has been stayed,” said the statement.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Maharashtra