Parbhani custodial death: Man died due to ‘shock following multiple injuries’, finds post-mortem report  

The deceased –Somnath Suryavanshi, a labourer who was a pursuing law in Parbhani – was among the 50 people arrested by the Parbhani police after violence broke out following the alleged vandalising of a replica of the Indian Constitution outside the Parbhani railway station.

Police claimed that Suryavanshi had been complaining of chest pain after he was sent to judicial custody, following which he was taken to the hospital where he passed away. Meanwhile, Suryavanshi’s body was taken from Aurangabad hospital to Parbhani, where large crowds gathered seeking action against the police.

Advocate Pawan Jondhale, who was representing Suryavanshi and some of the other accused arrested in the case, told The Indian Express, ” We have been saying that Suryavanshi died due to torture when he was in police custody for two days, which was clear from the abrasions found on his body. Apart from him, others arrested in the case told us that they too were tortured by the police and even beaten up on their private parts.”

Jondhale further alleged that even 10 – 12 teenage girls were badly treated by the police during the combing operations they carried out to arrest those they named in the FIRs.

“We have videos of some of these cases like one where a woman was thrashed by the police and she lost consciousness, following which they left her at her residence. We are compiling the same and shall produce it before the authorities,” Jondhale added.

Calls and messages to DGP Rashmi Shukla for her response to these allegations did not elicit any response. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Shahaji Umap, holding charge of the Inspector General post in Nanded, too did not respond to these allegations.

A senior officer however said that if the cause of death was due to the injuries, the post-mortem report should not withhold opinion on the final cause of death. The officer added that they are seeking a report on the incident and if it is found that someone committed excesses, action will be taken against them.

Meanwhile, on Monday, initially the police did not allow Suryavanshi’s body to be taken to Parbhani from the hospital in Aurangabad and asked those gathered to take the body to Latur.

However, after a massive crowd that had gathered near the hospital refused, the police eventually relented and allowed for the body to be taken to Parbhani, where people had gathered along the way to pay their respects.

On December 10, a replica of the Constitution was vandalised by one Sopan Pawar, following which there were protests and stone pelting took place the next day. It was following this that the Parbhani police registered FIRs and arrested 50 people, including Suryavanshi.

It was alleged that the police had carried out combing operations in slums to book some of the accused and had behaved in an aggressive manner. Police said that a total of eight FIRs have been registered in the case.

Suryavanshi, who belonged to the Wadar community, a nomadic tribe, had been arrested on December 12 and sent to judicial custody on December 14. The local police said he was moved to the local hospital after he complained of chest pain.