Synopsis
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accuses the police of murdering Dalit youth Somnath Suryavanshi, contesting Maharashtra government’s asthma claim. Gandhi, after meeting the deceased’s family, demands action against policemen involved. Maharashtra CM Fadnavis denies the allegations, stating an ongoing judicial inquiry.
IANSMumbai: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that a Dalit youth who died in judicial custody in Maharashtra was “murdered” by the police, disputing the state government’s claim that he succumbed to asthma.
“I have met with the families… The people have shown me the video…(and) photographs. I have seen the postmortem report. I won’t even say this a 90% or 99% but it is a cent per cent custodial death. The police have murdered him,” Gandhi alleged after meeting with the family of Somnath Suryavanshi in Parbhani.
Besides Suryavanshi’s family, Gandhi also met other villagers who were allegedly ‘beaten up’ by policemen in Parbhani after a riot.
“He (Suryavanshi) was killed simply because he was a Dalit and he was safeguarding the Constitution. The RSS ideology is to finish off the ideology of the Constitution,” the Congress MP alleged.
On December 10, a man from the Maratha caste who the Maharashtra government claims is mentally ill tore up a replica of the Constitution near Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s statue in Parbhani.
The Dalit community first beat up the man and then went on a rampage vandalising property. Among those arrested by the police for the violence and arson was Suryavanshi who was sent to judicial custody on December 11 where he died on December 15.
While Suryavanshi’s family and Dalit outfits are claiming that the youth died due to the police beating him up, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in a reply in the state assembly claimed that Suryavanshi had died from complications as he had asthma.
Gandhi disputed this. “The chief minister has lied in a bid to send a message to the police,” he alleged. “We want the matter to be resolved and those policemen who were involved should be acted against.”
Reacting to Gandhi’s visit, Fadnavis alleged, “We have already ordered a judicial inquiry. No one would be spared if the inquiry says that the death was due to assault by the police. His (Gandhi’s) visit was due to politics. It was meant to create hatred among castes. This is his only goal and which he has been doing for a long time.”
State Congress chief Nana Patole, who accompanied Gandhi to meet Suryavanshi’s family, countered by saying that they came to find the truth.
“We will be filing a privilege motion against the chief minister for lying in the house in the Parbhani and the Beed incidents… He was trying to hide their sin,” Patole said. “The first postmortem report had shown that Suryavanshi had died of shock due to multiple injuries,” he said.
