Parbhani, Dec 23 (UNI) Congress’ Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday visited the family of Somnath Suryawanshi, a young man from Parbhani who died in police custody, and spent around 20-25 minutes interacting with them.
Accompanied by other Congress leaders, he gathered all the details about the incident and offered his condolences to the bereaved family.
Speaking to media after meeting the family, Rahul Gandhi stated that Somnath Suryawanshi died due to police brutality in custody.
He emphasised that the perpetrators of this murder must face stringent punishment.
He said that the age-old ideology seeks to dismantle the Constitution but clarified that his visit had no political motive, insisting that justice must be served for the Suryawanshi family.
Somnath Suryawanshi, who was a defender of the Constitution, was murdered because he was a Dalit. His death occurred in police custody, and strict punishment should be meted out to those responsible for his killing, he demanded.
Criticising Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Rahul Gandhi asserted false information had been provided in the Legislative Assembly regarding the case, while holding the Chief Minister equally accountable.
After meeting Suryawanshi’s family, Rahul Gandhi also met the family of Ambedkarite activist Vijay Wakode and expressed his condolences.
While, state Congress president Nana Patole accused the government of suppressing the facts about Somnath Suryawanshi’s murder.
He rubbished the Chief Minister’s claim in the Assembly that Suryawanshi died of asthma and pointed that the post-mortem report clearly attributes his death to police assault.
He stated that the Congress would bring a privilege motion against the Chief Minister for providing false information to the House regarding the deaths of both Somnath Suryawanshi and Santosh Deshmukh, a sarpanch from Beed district.
Patole accused the BJP government of committing atrocities against marginalised communities, including Dalits, tribals and minorities.
The Congress will continue to raise its voice against such injustices and work to ensure justice for the victims’ families, he added.
