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Death of Somnath Suryawanshi

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Somnath Vyankat Suryawanshi, a 35-year-old law student, died in judicial custody on 15 December 2024 at Parbhani in Maharashtra, India. His death occurred in the aftermath of mass arrests by the Maharashtra Police following protests against desecration of replica of Indian Constitution happened in the city on 10 December 2024. The police initially claimed that his death was due to heart attack; however, his autopsy report showed the reason of his death as "shock after multiple injuries."

Background

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar is considered as father of Indian Constitution for his role as a chairman of drafting committee of the Constituent Assembly of India. He is particularly venerated by the dalit community for his work towards abolition of untouchability and enshrining human rights of the erstwhile untouchables. At the same time, desecration of his statues has been a recurrent incidence.

On 10 December 2024, a person, who was later identified as Sopan Pawar vandalized a replica of Indian Constitution kept in a glass enclosure near a statue of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. The locals present there apprehended Pawar and handed him over to the police. A shutdown in protest was called by the local organizations on 11 December 2024. The protests were marred by some violence with protestors allegedly pelting stones and setting fire to empty vehicles. The police imposed prohibition on public gatherings and combed nearby localities to arrest about 50 people.

Arrest and Death

Suryawanshi, a resident of Pune was on a visit to Parbhani to appear for his final-year law examination. Police took Suryawanshi to the Government Hospital, Parbhani, for alleged complaints of chest pain, where doctors declared him dead. Police initially claimed that he was not tortured.

As his death occurred in judicial custody, it was demanded by the dalit organisations that his autopsy be conducted at a hospital with forensic facilities and should be done in-camera.

His preliminary autopsy report showed the cause of death as shock due to multiple injuries.

Aftermath

Prakash Ambedkar, a prominent dalit leader and a grandson of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, reached Parbhani and pressed upon the administration to get the autopsy done in-camera at a government hospital with forensic facilities. Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA), the opposition coalition in the state, raised the issue of police brutality in the death of Suryawanshi in the winter session of the assembly.

References

  1. Mutha, Snehal (2024-12-17). "Parbhani violence: Aspiring lawyer dies in judicial custody of apparent shock following multiple injuries". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  2. ^ Shantha, Sukanya (2024-12-15). "Parbhani Violence: Man Picked Up in Combing Operation Dies in Judicial Custody". The Wire. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  3. In 1997, in Mumbai's Ramabai Nagar, police fired on protestors protesting vandalism of an Ambedkar statue. It left 10 people killed and 26 injured. Read 1997 Ramabai killings for more.
  4. Kartikeyan & Gorringe (2012) note "statues of the chief architect of the Indian Constitution are being vandalised in Tamil Nadu. Earlier in the year a statue was garlanded with chappals in Tiruchi. Now the heads of two statues in Madurai have been cut or knocked off, and even after two weeks neither has been replaced or fixed."
  5. Kartikeyan, D.; Gorringe, H. (2012). "Rescuing Ambedkar" (PDF). Frontline. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  6. Schellini, S. (2024-11-14). "(Un)Touchable: The Caged Statues of the Chennai–Bangalore Expressway and the Landscapes of Resilience". Society and Culture in South Asia. doi:10.1177/23938617241292872.
  7. Kulshreshtha, Swapnasaurabha (2024-12-11). "Bandh in Parbhani turns violent after vandalism of Constitution replica". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  8. "Maharashtra Violence: 50 Arrested In Parbhani, Police Likely To Net More Suspects". ABP News. 2024-12-12. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  9. Akhef, Mohammad (2024-12-17). "Custodial Death: Provisional autopsy report says "shock following multiple injurries"". Times of India. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  10. Ambedkar, Prakash. "Prakash Ambedkar on Twitter". X. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  11. "Parbhani: 35-year-old man arrested during violence dies in judicial custody". Lokmat Times. 2024-12-16.
  12. "MVA Protests Over Custodial Death of Dalit Youth, Murder of Sarpanch". The Asian Age. 2024-12-17.
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