Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath over phone on Tuesday and expressed concern over the killing of two priests in Bulandshahr district.

Thackeray also pointed out that on April 16, a similar incident of two sadhus and their driver being lynched had taken place in Palghar in which the Maharashtra government had initiated strong action.

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Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, in an apparent taunt at the BJP, said the killing of priests in Uttar Pradesh should not be communalised like the Palghar incident.

“Uddhavji said when such incidents happen, we should refrain from indulging in politics and unitedly work to punish the culprits,” Raut said.

Earlier, Raut in a tweet termed the killing of the two priests in Bulandshahr as “inhuman and brutal”.

“Terrible ! killing of two saints, sadhus at a temple in Bulandshahar,UP, but I appeal to all concerned to not make it communal the way they tried to make Palghar, Maharashtra incidence,” he tweeted.

“Maintain peace. The country is fighting corona and Yogi Adityanath will punish the culprits,” he said in another tweet.

In a shocking incident, two sadhus were found murdered at a temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district on Monday night.

Jagdish (55) and Sher Singh (45) were apparently hit with a lathi at Paguana village’s Shiva temple in Anupshahr police station area, police said. The alleged killer was arrested.

According to Uttar Pradesh Police, killer Murari, also known as Raju, was accused by the sadhus two days ago of stealing a pair of tongs used by them.

The youth, allegedly under the influence of cannabis, was caught near the temple soon after the two were found dead in the temple.

Senior officers rushed to the spot and questioned the man, who told them that after taking “bhang” on Monday night he went to the temple and killed the sadhus with a lathi lying there.

According to one official, the intoxicated youth said he carried out “God’s will”, denying he had any quarrel with the priests.

The senior official said the youth will be interrogated at length later as he was still under the influence of the drug.

Villagers caught the youth when he was spotted roaming naked about two kiolmetres from the scene of the crime, police said. Some reports said he was carrying a sword and initially police said the two priests were hacked to death.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed strict action in the case and sought a detailed report from officials.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra CM’s call has given the incident a political twist as days earlier, Yogi Adityanath had made a similar phone call to him over the lynching of two sadhus in Palghar.

Uddhav had assured prompt action in the matter and subsequently, around 110 accused villagers — including the five masterminds — have been arrested in the case till date.

On April 20, Union Home Minister also spoke with Thackeray after which the state government had handed over the mob-lynching case to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) which is now probing the case.

In Palghar, a mob lynched three men – two seers and their driver – on April 16 when they were going from Mumbai in a car towards Surat in Gujarat to attend a funeral.

Their vehicle was stopped near a village in Palghar district where the three were dragged out of the car and beaten to death with sticks by a mob on suspicion that they were child-lifters.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the murders.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, while calling for a through probe, claimed 100 people have been killed in Uttar Pradesh in the first 15 days of the month.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also said that such murders should not be politicised.