Three months after he died in police custody in the wake of his arrest made in connection with the violence witnessed at Parbhani in Marathwada region, a magisterial inquiry has held the police responsible for the death of Somnath Suryawanshi, a Dalit youth, prompting the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) to seek reports from the state government and police.

In its report submitted to the MSHRC, the magisterial inquiry has attributed Suryavanshi’s death to police brutality.  “Perusal of the report of the magisterial inquiry shows that the judicial magistrate has concluded that Suryawanshi was assaulted at Nava Mondha, Police Station in Parbhani. The police officials named in the Magistrial Inquiry are responsible for the custodial death of Suryavanshi”.

Following the magisterial inquiry report, the MSHRC, which is hearing complaints concerning Suryawanshi’s death, has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Additional Director General of Police (CID) and the Deputy Superintendent of Police (CID), Parbhani, seeking their reports in the matter.

Earlier, the post-mortem done on Suryavanshi’s body had recorded the cause of his death as ‘shock following multiple injuries.

The MSHRC has scheduled the next hearing of the complaint on Suryavanshi’s custodial death for June 23.

It may be recalled that Suryavanshi (35), a law student who hailed from the Wadar community, died at a state-run hospital in Parbhani on December 15, 2024 while in judicial custody, days after he was arrested in connection with violence Parbhani in the wake of desecration of a replica of Constitution of India placed in a glass box alongside the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

The magisterial inquiry report has political significance considering that within days after Suryavashi’s death, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had — after a visited the family of Suryavanshi — had created a major stir in the Maharashtra political circles, by alleging that a Dalit man was “murdered by the police” and that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had “lied” in the State Assembly over the issue.

After his visit to Suryavanshi’s family on December 23, 2024, Rahul Gandhi had said, “The family showed me the post-mortem report and videos. From what I saw, I can say it was 100 per cent judicial death. The police have murdered him in custody. He was killed because he was a Dalit who was trying to protect the Constitution. He was beaten and finished off”.   Rahul had gone on to accuse the chief minister, claiming that the ‘CM has lied in the Assembly’, ostensibly to convey a ‘message to the police’.

“It is the RSS ideology to finish off the Constitution. The (MahaYuti) government and their ideology are responsible (for Suryawanshi’s death). The CM and those who thrashed him (the Dalit man) are responsible for all this,” Rahul had said.

Questioned by the media as to whether he was trying to politicise the issue by visiting the family of the deceased and issuing a statement, Rahul had said,  “There’s no politics here. It’s a matter of justice. There’s been a murder. It’s a question of ideology. We want immediate action in the matter. We want this to be resolved and those behind it must be punished”.

Meanwhile, the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has come down heavily on the BJP-led MahaYuti government over the findings of the magisterial inquiry. “Even though Somnath Suryavanshi died due to police beatings, attempts are being made to suppress this case…we will ensure that the family gets justice,” VBA vice-president Siddharth Mokle said.

Senior NCP (SP) leader and former state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has demanded action against the police personnel from the Nava Mondha police station responsible for Suryhavanshi’s death. “Strictest action should be taken against the culprits in this case. The time to come will not forgive the rulers who support the guilty police officers,” Deshmukh said.