In a disturbing incident, a 35-year-old man - who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the violence that took place at Parbhani last week over the vandalisation of the replica of Indian Constitution - died in police custody on Sunday, prompting the Republican Sena call for a "Maharashtra bandh" on Monday.
The deceased - Somnath Veyankat Suryawanshi -died at Parbhani district civil hospital where he had been rushed from the Parbhani jail after he complained of chest pain. Suryawanshi, who used to work as a labourer in Pune district, had come to meet his family members at Parbhani on Wednesday when mobs protesting against the desecration of the replica of Indian constitution resorted to large-scale violence, arson and stone-pelting, amid a bandh called by the Ambedkarite activists.
He was placed under arrest by the police in connection with the incidents of violence. He hailed from the Wadar community.
The incident sent shock waves through the Ambedkarite circles.
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) founder-president Prakash Ambedkar and his brother and Republican Sena founder Anandraj Ambedkar came down heavily on the police for the circumstances leading to the death of Suryavamshi.
Prakash Ambedkar, who is the grandson of late B. R. Ambedkar said: "The custodial death of Somnath Suryawanshi - a Bhim Sainik belonging to the Wadar community - in Parbhani is gut wrenching, sickening and intolerable to say the least. What is more intolerable that his death happened in judicial custody despite his bail application being approved".
"Since his death happened in judicial custody, our lawyers will be urging the Court that the post-mortem (CT scan, MRI, forensic and pathological) examination takes place in a government hospital which has a forensic department, and that the post-mortem is filmed and undertaken by both the forensic and pathology department," the VBA founder-president said.
"Many Ambedkarite people were arrested after the Parbhani accident.
It is a shocking incident for Bhim Sainik. There should be immediate action against the concerned police personnel," Anandraj Ambedkar said.
Anandraj, who is the president of the Republican Sena, called for a bandh across Maharashtra to demand among other things adequate compensation for the family of the deceased, withdrawal of all cases against the Republican activists who staged protests at Parbhani on December 11 against the vandalisation of the replica of the Indian Constitution.
It may be recalled that a a glass-encased replica of the Indian Constitution was vandalised by some miscreants near Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's statue located outside the local railway station, protesters resorted to large-scale violence, arson and stone-pelting, amid a bandh called by the Ambedkarite activists.
