Somnath’s death in custody a murder by cops: Rahul Gandhi

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar/Pune: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who met Somnath Suryawanshi’s family members in Parbhani on Monday, termed the young man’s death in judicial custody on Dec 15 “a murder” by police.

“The postmortem report indicates that this is a case of murder. Police personnel killed Somnath while he was in judicial custody. He was murdered because he belonged to the dalit community. This case needs to be thoroughly investigated. What is needed is justice, not politics,” Gandhi said.

However, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis countered Gandhi by alleging that his Parbhani visit was political. “Rahul Gandhi’s visit was nothing but political. Over the years, he has been trying to create a caste-based divide in society, and he did the same thing in Parbhani as well,” Fadnavis told reporters in Pune.

Suryawanshi, a 35-year-old resident of Pune, was arrested in one of the seven cases registered for rioting and arson in Parbhani on Dec 11 over the desecration of a replica of the Constitution. He died while in judicial custody on Dec 15. Preliminary reports said he was pursuing law from a Parbhani-based college and was living in a rented apartment at Shankarnagar in Mondha.

On Monday, the Congress MP spent around 20-25 minutes interacting with Suryawanshi’s family. He said: “The perpetrators of his murder must face stringent punishment.” After his meeting with Suryawanshi’s family, Rahul Gandhi also met the family members of Ambedkarite activist Vijay Wakode.

Interacting with reporters, Gandhi said: “The Suryawanshi family has shown me Somnath’s postmortem report, video, and photographs (of the victim). This is a cent per cent custodial death. Police have murdered Somnath Suryawanshi. Chief minister even made a false statement in the assembly. Somnath was murdered because he is a dalit, and was protecting the Constitution. RSS’s ideology is an ideology that wants to finish off the Constitution. We want this matter to be resolved and whoever killed Somnath should be punished. I am not satisfied with whatever has been done in the case so far.”

Refuting Fadnavis’s claim that his visit was political, Gandhi said: “A murder has been committed. Action should be taken to ensure justice is delivered in the case. A particular ideology is responsible for the murder.”

The provisional postmortem report on Suryawanshi’s death, prepared after an in-camera procedure at the govt medical college and hospital (GMCH), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Dec 16 had concluded that “shock following multiple injuries” was the immediate cause of death.

The opposition raked up the issue during the recently concluded winter assembly session, following which local crime branch inspector Ashok Ghorband was suspended and a CID probe was ordered into Suiryawanshi’s death.

Fadnavis said: “State govt is extremely sensitive, and that is why we have already ordered a judicial inquiry. The inquiry will bring out the truth. If the inquiry report reveals that the injuries caused the death, we will not spare the culprits. Strictest punishment will be given.”

When asked about NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar calling him after visiting Parbhani and Beed, Fadnavis said, “He urged me to personally look into the cases. I have told him I am already monitoring them.”

Courtesy : TOI

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