Fri Mar 21 21:53:43 UTC 2025: ## Maharashtra Congress Accuses CM of Protecting Police in Custodial Death Case
**Mumbai, March 22, 2025** – The Maharashtra Congress has accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of shielding police officers allegedly responsible for the custodial death of law student Somnath Suryawanshi. Following a magisterial inquiry concluding that Suryawanshi died due to police torture, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Vasantrao Sapkal demanded action against the implicated officers.
Suryawanshi, arrested in connection with violence in Parbhani following the desecration of a Constitution replica in December 2024, died in a hospital on December 15th. Initially, police claimed his death was accidental, a claim refuted by the autopsy report and the subsequent magisterial inquiry. The inquiry, conducted by Parbhani Judicial Magistrate First Class C. U. Telgaonkar, concluded that Suryawanshi was assaulted at the Nava Mondha Police Station. The 451-page report has been submitted to the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC).
Mr. Sapkal criticized the BJP-led government as “anti-Dalit,” alleging police brutality against Dalits during the Parbhani violence. He also accused the CM of initially misrepresenting the cause of death.
The MSHRC has issued notices to various state officials, including the Chief Secretary and the Additional Director General of Police, and to the police officers involved, scheduling the next hearing for June 23rd. The commission’s action follows its receipt of the magisterial inquiry report which directly implicates specific police officials in Suryawanshi’s death. The Congress’s call for action against these officers underscores the gravity of the situation and the ongoing demand for accountability.
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