Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Monday, December 23met family of Somnath Suryawnashi, who died in judicial custody after being arrested following violence in Maharashtra's Parbhani. Gandhi said he it was a 100% custodial death. He said he was "killed because he was a Dalit protecting the Constitution of India."
Speaking to the media after meeting the deceased family and visiting the violence-hit area in Parbhani said, "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% a custodial death."
Gandhi alleged that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was lied to over the victim's death during the winter Assembly session. "He has been murdered and the Chief Minister lied in the Assembly to give a message to the police. This young man was killed because he was a Dalit and was protecting the Constitution," he added further.
Rahul Gandhi in Parbhani
Seeking hard punishment against responsible people over killing of people said, "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," he concluded.
Gandhi, along with state Congress president Nana Patole and other party leaders, also visited the victim's house. Violence in Maharashtra's Parthani breakout after a replica of the Constitution Book near Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue outside the Prabhani Railway Station was vandalised on December 10, due to which violence broke out in the area. Police personnel and locals were injured in the stone pelting and arson incidents.
After this, police took several people into custody and registered an FIR for creating unrest in the city. On December 11, police arrested 35-year-old Somnath Vyankat Suryavanshi, a resident of Shankarnagar, among over 50 others in connection with riots and arson on December 11.
Suryavanshi died on December 15 after complaining of chest pain at a government hospital in the morning. According to police, Suryavanshi complained of severe chest pain early on December 11, following which he was shifted to a civil hospital for treatment. The doctors examined him and declared him dead.