Parbhani (Maharashtra) [India]: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday referred to the death of Somnath Suryawanshi as “government-sponsored” and alleged that individuals adhering to Manusmriti ideologies were responsible for his demise.
सोमनाथ सूर्यवंशी यांची हत्या ही सरकार पुरस्कृत आहे.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 23, 2024
ते दलित होते आणि संविधानाचे रक्षण करत होते.
मनुस्मृती मानणाऱ्या लोकांनी त्यांचा जीव घेतला आहे. pic.twitter.com/2sfNX1OOmb
“The murder of Somnath Suryawanshi is government-sponsored. He was a Dalit and was defending the Constitution. People who believed in Manusmriti have taken their lives,” Rahul Gandhi stated in a post on X.
Rahul Gandhi, along with Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole and other party leaders, visited the violence-hit Parbhani district to pay homage to the deceased.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad directly held Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accountable for the violence in Parbhani. “The CM is responsible for all this as he could have controlled the situation in Parbhani but he was busy with the cabinet… The post-mortem report of the deceased says that multiple injuries led to death,” Gaikwad said.
Congress MP Praniti Shinde accused the government of “misleading and hiding facts.” She added, “The government is misleading and hiding facts… His (deceased) family was also informed after the death while it should have been done after the police arrested him. A lot of loopholes are there and we are demanding a judicial inquiry of it.”
After meeting the victims, Rahul Gandhi further alleged that Suryawanshi’s death was a custodial murder due to his Dalit identity and his role in protecting the Constitution.
“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. This young man was killed because he was a Dalit and was protecting the Constitution,” Rahul Gandhi told reporters.
The violence in Parbhani broke out on December 10 following the alleged vandalism of a replica of the Indian Constitution. Special Inspector General of Nanded, Shahaji Umap, previously confirmed that around 50 people had been arrested and eight cases registered in connection with the unrest.
The family of the deceased, Somnath Suryawanshi, has demanded the death penalty for the police officer under whose custody Suryawanshi reportedly died.