Mumbai, Feb 10 (IANS): Maharashtra Congress on Monday demanded the dismissal of the police officer responsible for Somnath Suryavanshi’s Murder in Parbhani and the filing of charges against him.
The party further demanded strict action against the killers of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district.
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said that in Parbhani and Beed incidents lives have been lost with the police’s involvement.
He added that it has become evident that Ambedkarite follower Somnath Suryavanshi was killed due to police brutality in Parbhani. However, the government has yet to take strict action against the responsible officers.
He said that following the desecration of the Constitution, a combing operation was conducted in Parbhani, where innocent people were brutally beaten.
“Who authorised this combing operation? Were the orders given by the Ministry or the Director General of Police's office? A thorough investigation should be conducted, and strict action should be taken against the officers who carried out the operation and those who issued the orders,” he demanded.
Patole stated that the post-mortem report confirmed that the innocent, well-educated young man, Somnath Suryavanshi, died due to police assault. Despite this, the state government has been protecting the officers involved.
“Chief Minister Fadnavis misled the assembly during the Nagpur session by falsely claiming that Suryavanshi died due to asthma. Now, the government is merely suspending the concerned officers. If the police are not responsible for Suryavanshi's death, then why is the government suspending them? Simply suspension is not enough. The concerned police officer must be dismissed,” he said.
He further added that Congress will bring a privilege motion against the Chief Minister for providing false information in the Assembly.
Patole claimed that the murders of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed and Somnath Suryavanshi in Parbhani are extremely serious incidents, adding that the government is stalling in both cases.
“In the Beed case, BJP MLA Suresh Dhas is making sensational allegations daily, yet the government is taking no action. This suggests a premeditated strategy. Now, in the Parbhani case, Dhas is advocating for the police to be pardoned. This hypocrisy is not just Dhas’s but also the government’s. The government is using Dhas as a decoy to divert public attention from the real issue,” he alleged.
Addressing corruption in the agriculture department, Patole alleged that under the MahaYuti government, the department has set records in corruption.
He claimed that crores of rupees meant for farmers were misappropriated, adding that whether it was the purchase of cotton bags or nano urea, schemes for farmers remained only on paper.
He said that despite the use of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for farmer schemes, the agriculture department bypassed it and engaged in scams.
“The corruption in the department is not just the responsibility of officials and the agriculture minister but also the then-Chief Minister and the state government,” he said.
Meanwhile, Patole led a delegation of Anganwadi workers and met the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to present their demands and grievances.
The delegation requested the LoP to raise their issues in Parliament for justice.
“The LoP has assured that their concerns would be pursued to seek a resolution,” Patole said.