We were so terrified that we cried for a while. How can people become so cruel?" asks a shell-shocked Prakash Laxman Vaswat, 50, one of the two crucial eyewitnesses to the barbaric lynching in Palghar district, who narrated to mid-day details of the incident on April 16. Sonudaji Borsa, 52, and Vaswat work as watchmen in the Jawhar division, at the forest chowkie where a trio from Mumbai were lynched by a frenzied mob.

Vaswat is an employee of the Forest Department and Borsa is on contract with it. They were on duty at the post in Gadchinchale village. Around 9 pm they saw a car — carrying Chikne Maharaj, 70, Sushil Giri, 35, and their driver Nilesh Tilghate, 30, — arrive from Kinhauli and a large number of villagers following it. "For three days before this there was a rumour that child lifters were on the prowl to kidnap children for their kidneys. The vehicle headed towards the state border area of Silvassa. But it was not allowed to cross and reached our forest chowkie at 9.30 pm. The villagers told us to stop the vehicle, threatening to kill us, and damage the forest post if we did not listen," said Borsa.