Special Report: ‘They Came Like Nazis’ ; Ambedkari Bastis in Maharashtra’s Parbhani Face Police Brutality

These are the winters of Marathwada. Parbhani, one of the prominent and sensitive districts in Maharashtra, is experiencing a fall of temperature up to 5 °C at night in this month of December. Numerous ‘basti’ residents of Priyadarshini Nagar are bruised with pain amidst the chilling weather. The pain has emerged from the combing operation of the Maharashtra police & State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), which took place at noon on December 11.

It was on December 10 when the incident of one Datta Sopan Pawar allegedly vandalising the preamble of the Constitution kept in front of the statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar occurred. This resulted in palpable tensions in the city. But this was the initial phase. Thereafter, Datta Sopan Pawar was allegedly manhandled and beaten by some ‘Ambedkarites’ who witnessed the incident. A doctor, on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that Datta Sopan Pawar was on drugs related to mental illness. It was then that the police ‘made interventions’ and claimed ‘they took ‘necessary action against him.’ The next day, December 11, however, local Ambedkarite organisations called for a ‘bandh’ in the city. During this, a mob of youth & teenagers, along with women, allegedly came out to the prominent areas of the city, like the District Magistrate (DM)’s office, Vyapari Sankul (Commercial Complex), & Visava corner. The mob of approximately 100 people allegedly went on the rampage and ransacked the DM’s office, tore documents there, and damaged the furniture amidst sloganeering. Then members of the mob also allegedly destroyed the small vendors’ stalls, looted money from the galas (cash counters) of pan (betel leaf) shops, and pelted stones on the glass walls of the malls & shops. This carried on for reportedly an hour. Witnesses say there were no police seen on the roads for that entire one hour. After an hour police appeared and started controlling the mob by imposing Section 144. Police called in the SRPF as well and started combing operations in some of the Ambedkarite bastis of Parbhani, according to the version of local citizens. Datta Sopan Pawar is now in jail at an unknown location according to information given by Additional SP of Parbhani Yashwant Kale.

Meanwhile, police also arrested around 40 people for ‘disturbing the law and order in the city’. Some people said they were surprised that in the FIR, the first name noted was that of Ambedkari leader, Vijay Vakode, who thereafter died on December 17 due to a sudden heart attack. Vakode was, in fact, one of the members of the peace committee formed by the police. Now, police have released all the people from the custody, against whom cases were filed, according to Ganpat Bhise and Dr. Sunil Jadhav, Ambedkari activists (follower of Ambedkar ideology). But days after the arrests, on December 15 news of Somanth Suryawanshi’s death became public. On December 14, all ‘accused’ had been transferred from police to MCR custody. Somnath Suryawanshi was a 35-year-old law student studying at Shivaji Law College, Parbhani. His custodial death has created a storm in social and political circles. Initially, police claimed that Suryawanshi had a heart attack and died. But later –on the vigilant insistence of local advocates and activists –his body was taken to Aurangabad Ghati Hospital, and postmortem (PM) was done in camera. The PM report stated that the cause of the death was ‘shock following multiple injuries.’ According to Somnath’s classmates and activists in the agitation, Somnath was capturing the videos of the police brutality, and that’s the only reason police seized him & then beat him to death. Meanwhile, CM Devendra Fadanvis, while replying to a debate on this issue in the State Legislature on Friday, December 20, declared a financial aid of Rs. 10 lakh to the family of Somanth Suryawanshi. Fadanvis also stated that the injuries found on the body of Somnath were old and police are not to be blamed for those. Fadnavis’ reactions in the State Assembly have not helped alleviate tensions, in fact raised questions on the state’s willingness or ability to conduct an impartial inquiry into the deaths and injuries caused by the combing operations.

Sabrangindia has detailed the chronology of arrests and legal interventions in its report that may also be read here.

Priyadarshini Nagar is a basti with an approximate population of 800 alongside Parbhani’s Vasmat road. The residents are closely associated with each other. Ashok Ubale and Ganpat Bhise, the social activists from the Ambedkarite movements, took me inside the narrow lanes of Basti. Ramesh, a 55-year-old daily wage worker (name has been changed for security reasons), narrated the trauma of December 11. He also shared a story of unexpected police actions that impacted on the life of the couple.

In a week, shaking voice, he says, “They were all wearing headgear, iron-shielded uniforms, and whatnot. We were all weaponless as well as helpless. Kunitari zopet dhonda ghatlyasarkha hota baga te sagla maay…(It was all like someone kills you with a huge stone when you are in a deep sleep). Now I am not able to decide how to sleep, as there is pain emanating from all over my body. Police beat me up, and they just left. Nothing is on the record. I have no evidence of all this brutality except my wounds!”

His wife, Sumantai (name has been changed for security reasons), says that she was working in the kitchen when police came with no intimation and just started beating her husband and asking him repeatedly if he was present in the protests yesterday. “My husband tried to convince them that he was very weak and went to work that very day, but they didn’t believe him. I went all out and tried to save my husband. In this process, they beat me as well.” Sumantai shows me her swollen right hand. “Now I am struggling with daily household chores as my right hand is damaged. My husband has not been able to rejoin his work for the last 10 days. We both are daily wage workers. Now I need to give him a bath as he can’t bathe on his own. All of my daughters are married and live in different cities. Our son studies in Standard X, and now he is compelled to work in a garage.” One can see a deep half-ripened wound on the shoulder bones of Ramesh.

I went to the Taluka court in the evening. I was looking for Somnath Suryawanshi’s mother. Taluka Court officials took the statement of Vijayabai Suryawanshi for 3 hours as she had filed a complaint against the cops saying that they should be held responsible for the custodial death of her 35-year-old son, Somnath Suryawanshi, who belonged to the Vadaar (Nomadic Tribe) community. We both had a word in the backyard of the court at 5:30 pm on the eve of December 18. Lalu Jadhav, an activist from Vadar Samaj Sanghatana, and some activists from Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi were accompanying her. Her advocate, Pawan Jondhale, was also there.

“Maza lekru nyayacha shikshan ghet hota, tebi dagad fodun, tyachyawar kiti motha anyay kela baga police lokanni.” My son was studying law along with breaking the gravel. But the police have taken utterly unlawful actions against him. Vijayabai keeps speaking amidst tears. Two of her other sons, Premnath and Avinash, keep consoling her. Avinash has completed an M.Sc. (Physics) as well as a B.Ed. degree and Premnath has done his B.Sc. along with his B.Ed. “My son was a bright, shining diamond in a stone mine. He was always focused when it came to education. He had acquired multiple degrees like Babasaheb Ambedkar. Recently he had qualified for the PET exam for pursuing a Ph.D. from Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University. He was working as a LIC agent as well. My son Somnath and I were both struggling continuously to solve the monetary issues in the family. Somanth had always helped his siblings with education. After his father died in 2018, he was the backbone of my family.” Premnath adds to this account, “Somnath was working as a journalist for some media platform. He kept showing his Law & Journalist I-cards to the police that day, but this was of no use. He was in contact with us till December 11. Then afterwards, there was no connection. We were not informed after five days that Somnath had been abducted by the police. Then the cops called us directly when he got a so-called heart attack. He was in police custody for two days, and then he was moved to judicial custody. He was brutally beaten in the PCR. Then he was taken to the MCR. PM reports are clear enough to disclose the cause of his death. Is this all a legal process? Somanth’s seized mobile has not been returned to us yet. We are going to file an appeal soon for that. We have also filed an FIR against the police. In response they have given us a signature-stamped paper as a response to our FIR but no copy of the FIR.

Somnath’s last rites were performed on the eve of December 16. A large crowd was present for the same. I had a word with some of Somnath’s classmates. According to them, he was very sincere and aware. He had always struggled to balance between his bread and butter commitments and  academics. His friends also added that he was not present at the time of any violence but protested peacefully with a pen and diary in his hands on December 11.

Vatsalabai Manvate is an untrained medical helper in a private hospital, mostly on a night shift. But this is not her only identity. She is an Insta Reelstar. While struggling with daily life, she manages to make some reels about Babasaheb Ambedkar, her basti life, dhamma festivals, and all.

Swati (name changed for security reasons), her daughter-in-law, was at home in a hurry to make a tiffin for hospitalised Vatsalabai. She expresses herself fearlessly, “My mother-in-law, Vatsalabai, is a tech-savvy woman. She is also an honest follower of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s teachings. Due to this background of hers, that day, she started shooting the live videos of police and SRPF beating the innocent basti people without any strong evidence or paperwork. That was the only thing that went against her, and the police not only beat her but also molested her sexually. Two of the male police pressed her thighs, some of them pulled her hair, and the remaining police and SRPF mob beat her, which has resulted in serious injuries all over the body, including the areas of her private parts. The CCTV footage of the same incident is now viral all over the internet. Now I feel like the cops are like some goons wearing a police uniform. ‘Mungicha jeev baarik asto tila sagle ragditaat… tasa zalay aamcha.’ (The lives of ants are so tiny and insignificant that anyone can kill them, and the same is our case.)”

In the ICU ward of the Parbhani District Civil Hospital, bed no. 6 is a sensation for other patients and hospital staff as influential political figures, social activists & police officials keep making rounds of that bed to meet the patient. It is where the 50 year old Vatsalabai Manvate rests, recovering. A fair-skinned, grey-eyed, beautiful lady. One can sense the hardships of her life by looking at the fit and strong physique she holds. But when I went to meet her, I found her hands shivering with pain and trauma from the violence thrashing upon her.

Vatsalabai was lying on the bed wearing a nylon saree with her whole body covered with blankets. She said it was hard for her to get up. “What was my crime, that they beat me in such an insulting way? I need justice; I am not going to keep mum. I was not able to sleep at night the past few days. I had already undergone angiography some years ago. Besides that, I am a BP patient. I was continuously telling these facts to the police and SRPF, but they didn’t stop the assault. Targeting my knees, hands, legs, and private parts, they kept molesting me verbally & physically. During this assault, I requested that I needed to pee. One of them said, “Kholtes ki naahi mobile cha lock? Nasta tula aata ithach mutavto ki naahi baghch tu!” (If you are not going to unlock your mobile for us, I will forcefully make you pee here right now.”) There were women cops, but the male police beat me more than the women. Police forced me to unlock my mobile, seized it, and haven’t given it back till today.

One of the youth in Ahilyanagar spoke to me anonymously: “There were rumors all over in the air within our Basti that ‘they’ are going to come back again in the night. Our kids still wake up crying in the dark hours. Children, old-age people, breastfeeding women—no one was spared. Verbal abuse by the police was vile. They have also beaten 12-14-year-old teenagers. Many of the youth are wearing plasters on their hands or feet. Anyone can see the doors, windows, and vehicles were broken with boot kicks and lathis. Police had also used tear gas. Are we some kind of terrorists for the state?”

His friends participated in the discussion. He says, “Here in our city, there is a popular proverb, ‘Jagaat Germany, Bhartaat Parbhani.’ (When one looks at the world, there is Germany, so as in India, there is Parbhani.) Ironically, Germany holds the history of Nazi brutality. So this is the same replication happening in the Ambedkari Bastis of Parbhani now. So many of our women and youth have captured the live footage of police and SRPF violence. We have the evidence with us. Just this question remains: What action will be taken by the current home minister & state police authorities against all this? To date, no one from the ruling party has come here to witness the sufferings & property losses we have undergone. We are feeling excluded & targeted in a democratic state.” [1]

Both of them led me to the residence of Pranita (name changed for security reasons). Pranita is a breastfeeding mother. Her first daughter is three years old, and the second one is a newborn of two months. Recalling the incident, she breaks down in tears again and again and says, “I still get haunted with the echoes of that violence. I was told by some of the neighbours that the police were on the way. My elder daughter was asleep. So I hid in our bathroom with my small baby. Police & SRPF came in a moment and broke the main wooden door of our home. Then they started kicking on the bathroom cement door with tremendous force. This door as well broke down and was going to fall upon me. I got away with a blink of an eye. Then the women police forcefully took me to the front yard and asked me to come and sit in the police van. I kept telling them that I was nowhere in the peaceful agitations happening in the city as I am a breastfeeding mother, but they didn’t pay any attention. They started to beat me with a ‘sundari’ (police stick). Meanwhile, one of our neighbours brought my kids in front of them. Some of the women cops were kind of puzzled to see my kids. They paused for a moment and asked me to go home. I think they were able to smell the future consequences of the incident if they would have picked me up. I still hear the echoes of ‘khol darwajaa… khol darwajaa…’ (open the door… open the door). I still start shivering as I hear the word ‘Police.’ I am feeling feverish.

People say that this is the very first time that their basti has faced such a combing operation. According to some of the residents, police allegedly showed the video of their brutality to residents of other bastis threatening the same consequences! Come sit in the police van; otherwise we will beat you in the same way. One can see the vehicles, like autos and scooters, which have been allegedly damaged by police as there was a sign of Babasaheb Ambedkar painted on them. The residents complain that their desire to cook and eat has decreased tremendously.

This basti is still experiencing the echoes of the alleged brutality. People are terrified to leave their homes. The collective emotion is, “Marnaa ho ka tarnaa ho aata amhala nyay pahije.” (Now we will either get drowned or get to the riverbank, but we want justice at any cost.)

Sambhaji Brigade is a politically and socially active organization of the Maratha community in Maharashtra. Maratha Seva Sangh is their think tank. Balaji Mohite, Gajanan Jogdand, and Swapnil Garud (Sambhaji Brigade) express their deep anguish over all recent developments. They say, “But in a way this was bound to happen. We remember that in the pre-corona times, when Gulabrao Patil was our guardian minister. Some of us went to him on an organisational level and handed him an appeal that said that the security of the Babasaheb Ambedkar Statue is very nominal and weak. We had demanded that the contract be awarded to some better contractor, but this was given to a local one. The statue is on the highway. There are only steel rods that cover the statue. Along with this, the placement of the stand of the Preamble has been so wrong that the glass case covering the preamble can be accessed by anyone randomly. Can the Preamble be kept so handy on the road? There was no action taken on our appeal, and now these violent consequences are there, which could have been avoided. We doubt that the violent mob that broke into the District Magistrate office and shops was local.”

They continue, “We also doubt the very intentions of police and district administration. Firstly, there was a huge mob of around 5,000 people gathering on December 10 near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Babasaheb statue. This was an aggressive morcha by the Sakal Hindu Samaj for raising the issue of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. To tell the truth, any common citizen would have sensed that not enough precautionary measures were taken to tackle this huge mob if their speeches had led to any tensions. Thereafter, within this overall tense scenario, it is tragic that Datta Sopan Pawar damaged the Preamble and the mob manhandled him brutally. But now the whole city is asking a common question: what prevented the police and administration from enforcing section 144 in the city immediately on that very day? To date, the DM and police have not been able to answer this question. There is one more point: a peace committee meeting with local citizens and the police was called on the same day after the combing operations were done. As committee members, we said that still matters could have been controlled, ‘This should have been reversed.’”

Comrade Rajan Kshirsagar from Parbhani CPI has his own say on the unfolding tensions in the city. Rajan said, “One can draw a pattern when it comes to police brutality in Parbhani. The opposition has already been weakened in the state legislature. So, they don’t have enough power to keep any restraint on the ruling party when it comes to misusing the police force. We are all familiar with the cruel violence thrashing upon Palestine by the forces of Israel. The current chief minister has employed or used the modus operandi of the Israelis in Parbhani Ambedkarite bastis. They are using Parbhani as a lab. One can sense the connection by going deep enough.”

What did the police say…?

IG Shahaji Umap has been in charge, handling all aspects of the unfolding incidents since December 10. Speaking to the writer about this, Umap said, “From the very first day, we have handled the situation to our best ability, in a fair manner. I know many allegations are being raised, like the timing of imposing 144 and using the police and SRPF force to maintain law & order… But we have done this all for a greater good, which was the crucial need of that particular situation. Now the whole case is under judicial inquiry. In this situation, I, as a police authority, should not be commenting on anything. We all should wait & watch now.

I also asked him about seizing the mobile of Somanth Suryawanshi, who belongs to the Vadar (NT-Nomadic Tribe) community & Vatsalabai Manvate (Nav Bouddha) forcefully; it contains their personal data, so does he not see this as a breach of their privacy… IG Umap cross-questioned me, “But Somnath Suryawanshi is dead now, isn’t he? We are doing this all under a legal process.”

Two academicians from Parbhani put forth his interesting observation. They said, “Pushpa – 2 is a massive hit nowadays. This is the era where we are glorifying the antagonists as so-called protagonist heroes. Maharashtra was way better till the ‘Guwahati Campaign’ happened to us. Maharashtra is seen as a state that respects the rule of law when we compare it to other states, and it should remain like that. In the last ten years, the environment has gotten so polluted that we can sense the caste-religion location of our students from their aesthetics and clothes. On the desks of schools & colleges, we keep observing the chants like Jai Shree Ram have been engraved. If there is a lack of education and social sensitivity, then radicalism is bound to get provoked.”

After covering the unfolding events, I was on my train journey from Parbhani to Nanded. A 50-plus year-old lady was sitting in front of me. Along with her, everyone was talking about last week’s tensions in the city. This was no doubt a hot topic for all, everywhere. The lady, from a so-called privileged caste, started to express herself in a considerably raised voice. Her arguments were both anti-reservation and anti-Dalit. She said, “These people, you know, are always the ones who like to show their destructive powers. They cause the damages and then demand money from the government like some kind of aid, “These people also have reservation. They are always the ones who like to show their destructive powers, it is extortion. They want reservation. They just take the whole administrative and social system for granted. They pressurise others by using the tool of ‘atrocities’. I do not want to discriminate but this is the brutal truth.” Some of the fellow travelers nodded  their heads in agreement. Others just kept mum. The nervousness of some of the travelers in the next bogie could be seen through their body language.

The city of Parbhani still possesses the cankers of the violence all over its body. Some political party offices, small vendor ‘thelas’ (small shops at corners), and glass-windowed showrooms still show signs of the damage. People are back to their daily routine, but they have so many unanswered questions in their mind. They keep pouring their hearts out as soon as you try to check them out for some details. Most of the small thelas and shops have been examined by the administration and have been provided with compensation for the damages. Yet there is an invisible anxiety flowing in the city markets.

Shahir Vilas Ghogre had written & composed a poem at the time of the Namantar (Changing of Name) Movement of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.

It was titled “Jaltoy Marathwada, bagh jaltoy Marathwada…” (Marathwada is burning; see Marathwada is burning.) Just after a few days of December 6, which is the death anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, how some political people and forces will benefit from the renewed burning of Parbhani in Marathwada, is now the talk of the town.

(The author is an independent journalist and can be reached at [email protected])

[1] Ajit Pawar deputy chief minister met victim of custodial death, Somnath Suryanwanshi’s mother, Vijayabai Suryawanshi and two brothers, Avinash and Premnath on December 22 and promised some aid.