Sanjay Raut blames Fadnavis for systemic failure following Parbhani violence accuseds death

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Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has criticised Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the wake of the custodial death of an accused in connection with the Parbhani violence, calling it a "failure of the system". Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Raut took aim at the Maharashtra administration's handling of the incident, which involved the vandalism of a replica of the Constitution near Dr B R Ambedkar's statue outside the Parbhani railway station on December 10. The violence that followed led to widespread arrests and unrest in the city.

Raut, a prominent opposition figure, stated that he would raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha, accusing the state government of being "anti-constitutional". He further questioned why "protectors" of the Constitution were being victimised under the current government. "This is a failure of the system. Devendra Fadnavis is responsible for it," he said, while referring to the Chief Minister, who also holds the home minister portfolio.

The incident, which sparked violence in the central Maharashtra city, resulted in more than 50 arrests and multiple cases filed. One of the accused, 35-year-old Somnath Venkat Suryawanshi, was detained following the unrest. While in judicial custody at the Parbhani District Central Prison, he reportedly complained of chest pain and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on Sunday morning at 6:59 am.

A magisterial inquiry has been launched to investigate the allegations surrounding Suryawanshi's custodial death, and his body has been sent to a government hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for a postmortem examination.

Raut noted that Suryawanshi had fought to "save" the Constitution after its replica was damaged, although his methods may have been questionable. He demanded accountability from the Maharashtra government and called for justice for Suryawanshi. Local organisations in Parbhani have called for a bandh on Monday to press for action.

In response to the incident, Meghana Bordikar, BJP MLA from Jintur in Parbhani, who was recently appointed as a minister in the Maharashtra government, described the events as "unfortunate" but defended the police's actions. She claimed that Suryawanshi's death was due to a heart attack and praised the police for promptly arresting those involved in the violence. According to Bordikar, while the city is observing a bandh, the situation is gradually returning to normal.

(With inputs from PTI)