Maharashtra: ‘100 % custodial death,’ says Rahul Gandhi after meeting family of deceased Suryawnashi in Parbhani

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Monday visited the family of Somnath Suryavanshi, who died in judicial custody following violent clashes in Maharashtra’s Parbhani earlier this month.

Gandhi’s visit brings back in focus the violence that erupted on December 10 after a glass-enclosed replica of the Constitution near Babasaheb Ambedkar’s statue outside Parbhani railway station was vandalised.

Suryavanshi, a resident of Shankar Nagar in Parbhani, was among more than 50 persons arrested in connection with the unrest. On December 15, he died at a state-run hospital after experiencing chest pain while in judicial custody at the Parbhani District Central Prison.

Gandhi met the grieving family to express his condolences and solidarity. Speaking after the meeting, Gandhi slammed the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government over the handling of the incident.

“I have met the family and those who have been killed and beaten up. They showed me the post-mortem report, videos, photographs. This is 100 per cent a custodial death. He has been murdered and the Chief Minister lied in the Assembly to give a message to the police,” Gandhi said after meeting the family.

‘CM lied in Assembly’

Family members of deceased Somnath Suryawnashi have demanded a death sentence for the accused police officer under whose custody Suryawanshi died. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a judicial probe into the Parbhani violence.

This young man was killed because he was a Dalit and was protecting the Constitution.

“This young man was killed because he was a Dalit and was protecting the Constitution. The ideology of the RSS is to destroy the Constitution. We want this matter to be resolved immediately and those who have done this should be punished. No politics is being done… The ideology is responsible, because the Chief Minister has made this statement so the Chief Minister is responsible, those who have killed him are responsible and action should be taken as soon as possible,” the Congress leader.