Somnath Suryavanshi killed because he was Dalit and protecting Constitution: Rahul Gandhi

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi visited the family of Dalit activist Somnath Suryavanshi, who died at a state-run hospital while being in judicial custody, in Parbhani district of Maharashtra.

Suryavanshi was among the over 50 people arrested on December 10 in connection with the violence that broke out in the district following the vandalisation of a glass-enclosed replica of the Constitution near Dr Ambedkar's statue.

"Somnath Suryavanshi was killed because he was a Dalit and was protecting the Constitution. The RSS ideology wants to finish the constitution," Gandhi said while demanding a probe into his death.

Gandhi reached Parbhani on Monday afternoon after travelling from Nanded by road. He was shown pictures, videos, and Suryavanshi's postmortem report. After going through all the material, Gandhi said it was a case of custodial death and the police had killed him.

The 35-year-old law student died on December 15 at a state-run hospital where he was rushed after complaining of chest pain and uneasiness.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi raised the issue in the recently concluded state legislature session. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced an inquiry by a retired judge into the case of Suryavanshi's death and a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the victim’s family. 

Suryavanshi's family has demanded a death sentence for police personnel who were involved in Somnath’s death.

Rahul Gandhi was also scheduled to meet the family of Vivek Vakode, another Dalit activist who died of a heart attack.