Parbhani custodial death: Bombay HC orders FIR within one week

Mumbai: In a significant development, the Bombay High Court on Friday ordered an FIR within a week's time in the custodial death of Somnath Suryawanshi who died in custody in December 2024.

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

Right-wing groups held a meeting near the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Parbhani on 10 December, 2024, to protest against alleged atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh after which the desecration took place.

However, later massive protests broke out in Parbhani on 11 December after which several people were arrested including Somnath (35), who was visiting Parbhani to appear for his final-year law examination.

He was allegedly assaulted at the Nava Monda police station during police custody, however, later was sent to judicial custody, where his condition deteriorated and sent to hospital, where he died.

It may be mentioned, in March, a magisterial inquiry concluded that the police were responsible for the death, according to a report submitted to the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC).

Suryawanshi’s mother Vijayabai Suryawanshi has moved the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court with a writ petition filed through advocates Prakash Ambedkar, Sandesh More and Hitendra Gandhi.

In its interim order, the Aurangabad bench of the high court gave this direction to the inspector of Mondha police station in Parbhani, and also asked the Parbhani district Superintendent of Police to hand over the probe into the case to a Deputy Superintendent of Police-rank officer.

The case will next be heard on 30 July.

Reacting to the verdict, Ambedkar, a lawyer, politician and activist, who is the founder of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, said, “The High Court has accepted that Suryawanshi died in judicial custody and that too by beating. The Maharashtra government wanted to pass it off as a heart attack. The court has rejected. This is a big victory, we will fight the case till the end.”