Maratha community members during a protest march to condemn the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh and the death of Somnath Suryawanshi in police custody in Parbhani, in Pune, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. Protestors shouted slogans against state Minister Dhananjay Munde, demanding that his portfolio be taken away from him.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday set up a one-member committee of retired judge V L Achalia for a judicial inquiry into the custodial death of Parbhani protester Somnath Suryavanshi, officials said.
The order of appointing the retired judge for the judicial inquiry was issued by the home department, an official said.
The committee will investigate the sequence of events and reasons concerning the custodial death of the Dalit protester, he said.
Suryavanshi, 35, died at a state-run hospital in Parbhani on December 15 while in judicial custody, days after he was arrested in connection with violence in Parbhani over the desecration of the glass-encased replica of the Constitution.
Police had said Suryavanshi died after falling ill.
The panel will also probe into the steps taken by the Parbhani police to handle the situation during the violence, the official said.