Parbhani Violence: Sanjay Raut Targets CM Devendra Fadnavis for Custodial Death, Calls it 'Failure of the System'

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday lashed out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the custodial death of an accused in the Parbhani violence case, calling it a sign of the "failure of the system." Addressing reporters in New Delhi, Raut condemned the Maharashtra administration's handling of the incident and stated that he would raise the matter in the Rajya Sabha.

Raut accused the Maharashtra government of being "anti-constitutional" and raised concerns about the safety of those who uphold the Constitution, questioning why "protectors" of the Constitution were losing their lives under the current administration's rule.

Raut said Suryawanshi fought to "save" the Constitution after its replica was vandalised in Parbhani. "Though his methods might have been questionable, he was arrested, and then he died in custody. This is a failure of the system. Devendra Fadnavis is responsible for it," the Rajya Sabha member charged while referring to the CM as home minister.

Violence broke out in Parbhani city, located in central Maharashtra, after a glass-enclosed replica of the Constitution near Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's statue outside the Parbhani railway station was vandalized on the evening of December 10. In connection with the unrest, over 50 individuals have been arrested, and multiple cases have been registered. One of the arrested, 35-year-old Somnath Venkat Suryawanshi, was taken into judicial custody and lodged at the Parbhani District Central Prison, according to the police.