Immediate Action Required: Athawale Demands Arrests in Beed and Parbhani Cases

Mumbai, Dec 30 (NationPress) In a bold stance, Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale has insisted on the urgent apprehension of the individuals responsible for the murder of Massajog (Beed) Sarpanch and the police implicated in the death of a Dalit youth during judicial custody in Parbhani on Monday.

The President of the Republican Party of India (A), Athawale, expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased Sarpanch Santosh Pandit Deshmukh (Beed) and Somnath Vyankat Suryawanshi, a 35-year-old law student from Parbhani, who was arrested amid the unrest that followed the desecration of a statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on December 10.

"The unacceptable delay in capturing Deshmukh's murderers is alarming. Simply seizing the assets of the fugitive killers is insufficient. The government must act without delay to apprehend the murderers of Deshmukh," asserted Athawale in Beed.

The Central Minister's visit coincided with an all-party silent protest march held in Buldhana on Monday, following similar demonstrations in Beed and Latur the previous week.

He extended his support to the grieving widow Ashwini S. Deshmukh, their children Viraj and Vaibhavi, as well as the late Sarpanch's brother Dhananjay Deshmukh, promising to pursue justice for Santosh P. Deshmukh.

Athawale emphasized that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured the legislature of decisive action regarding this issue, and he pledged to escalate the matter with both the MahaYuti state government and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Deshmukh, aged 45, was reportedly kidnapped, subjected to severe torture, and killed on December 9, after he attempted to thwart an extortion scheme near a windmill company. This incident has escalated into a significant political controversy.

Later, in Parbhani, Athawale met with the family of Suryawanshi, who was originally from Latur but residing in Pune to pursue his law studies in Parbhani.

"There was widespread outrage following the desecration of Dr. Ambedkar’s statue on December 10. This anger resulted in violence the following day in Parbhani. However, the response from the police was excessively brutal given the circumstances," Athawale remarked.

Athawale also noted that the police's actions, including the lathi-charge on December 11, led to injuries among numerous protestors, particularly among the Dalit community.

“We demand accountability from the police officials responsible for the lathi-charge that resulted in Suryawanshi’s death during judicial custody. Those involved in injuring protestors and the unjust detention of hundreds must also face consequences,” a resolute Athawale stated.

The incidents in Parbhani and Beed have sparked national outrage, with prominent opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi from the Congress party and Sharad Pawar from the Nationalist Congress Party visiting Parbhani recently.

The President of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has urged Fadnavis to provide compensation of Rs 1 crore to Suryawanshi's family and offer a government job to one of the family members, alongside a comprehensive survey of all victims of police misconduct.

Meanwhile, call detail records of the prime suspect Walmik Karad, allegedly involved in the Sarpanch's murder, indicate that he was evading capture while posting updates from Pune and Ujjain shortly thereafter.