Twelve individuals were arrested in West Bengal's Purulia district for allegedly assaulting and stripping three sadhus who were en route to Gangasagar.
The incident occurred on Thursday and was reportedly sparked by a misunderstanding between the sadhus and three village girls, arising from a language barrier. According to Avijit Banerjee, the Superintendent of Police (SP) for Purulia district, the sadhus, along with two others, stopped at a village named Gourangdih. There, they encountered three village girls on their way to a local Kali temple and engaged in conversation.
However, due to a language barrier, a misunderstanding ensued, leading the girls to believe that the sadhus had malicious intentions, prompting them to raise an alarm. The commotion attracted villagers who proceeded to assault the sadhus, damaging their vehicle in the process. Madhur Goswami, one of the sadhus, recounted the incident, stating, "We were going to Gangasagar. On the way, some people stopped the vehicle. We were heckled and beaten up. The vehicle was also damaged. We would return to our ashram. We can’t go to Ganga Sagar as the vehicle has been damaged."
The sadhus expressed their intention to return to their ashram due to the ordeal they faced.