Shinde was, however, not available for comments and is absconding. “There were no clashes between the MNS and the north Indians till now and we have had cordial relations with the north Indians in our village,” said Gurunath’s uncle.

“It would be difficult to comment on it as probe is on. If we find Shinde’s involvement in this case, we will nab him,” said C S Ughade, Additional Commissioner (East Region) of the Thane police.

The two north Indians killed — Omprakash Dubey (34) and Mayur Dubey (30) — were both homeopathy doctors.

Bhoir, a builder, has an eight-month-old son. Mayur has a 15-day-old daughter and Omprakash is survived by three children.

The incident occurred at the time when MNS chief Raj Thackeray was arrested and kept at the Manpada police station, not far from the village. Pisavli’s population is estimated to be 30,000 and around 60 per cent of the residents are north Indians, a majority of whom stay in houses rented by the locals. Moreshwar Bhoir, MNS Kalyan taluka unit chief, stays in the same village.

According to Datta Karale, DCP (Zone III), on Tuesday morning, while MNS activists were forcing people to shut down shops in protest of Raj’s arrest, Jaiprakash Dubey, a prominent north Indians of the village and a BJP worker, refused to shut his shop and attacked the MNS activists. The matter worsened in the evening when MNS activists, led by Moreshwar’s younger brother Gurunath, clashed with the north Indians.

“In the evening Jaiprakash Dubey came near Bhoir’s residence and challenged him,” said Shoba Bhoir, the sarpanch of the village. “In retaliation, Gurunath and 10 others attacked the Dubey family. In the clash that followed, Gurunath was stabbed to death,” added Karale. The MNS activists, in retaliation attacked the Dubeys and Omprakash and Mayur were lynched to death.

“It was a pre-planned attack,” alleged S S Dubey, elder brother of Omprakash and Mayur. The bodies were taken to their hometown, Varanasi, on Wednesday evening. The cops have still not arrested anyone in the case.