Police Inspector Ashok Ghorband, has been suspended by the Government of Maharashtra pending investigation. Violence broke out after the replica of the constitution was vandalized in Parbhani According to transfer rules, he should not have been posted there on the day of the violence on December 10, ahead of the assembly elections in November.
According to the source, Ghorband’s name was in the list of officers who were transferred from Parbhani last June, but he managed to take sick leave during the election to avoid controversy. He had been serving in the Nanded range – of which Parbhani is a part – for seven years and was to be transferred before the elections. On the intervention of a local MLA, Ghorband Parbhani continues as inspector of the Local Crime Branch (LCB), sources said.
After the violence, 35-year-old law student Somnath Suryavanshi was arrested among about 50 people on December 12. Died in custody on December 15.
A senior officer from Parbhani told The Indian Express on condition of anonymity, “Ghorband, who is in the Nanded police range, completed seven years in June this year and a transfer order was issued posting him to the Latur Police Training School. (PTC). However, due to some recommendations, he is continuing in the post.”
When contacted by The Indian Express, Ghorband refused to comment on the allegations. However, sources close to the officer said it was because of the health condition of a family member that he requested for an extension, which was granted.
According to the rules of the Election Commission, IPS officers who have been in the same commissionerate/district for three years should be transferred, while police inspector level officers who have been in the same range for seven years should be transferred. To be transferred before the election. This is done so that they cannot use their power to influence the elections.
Since June 2017, Ghorband has been posted as head of LCB at Kotwali Police Station in Parbhani, Nanded Rural Police Station in Nanded and finally in Parbhani in areas falling under Nanded range. A source said Ghorband had a good relationship with the local MP. Sources said that his request not to be transferred was accepted as his name was on the transfer list.
An official of Parbhani said that in the past too, complaints had been received from the Dalit community against Ghorbandh. “Earlier, a Dalit boy was killed by the Marathas in Parbhani. There was trouble after Ghorband, who was handling the incident, made some remarks and the IG had to rush there,” the officer said.
He said that even when he was transferred to Parbhani in January, some senior officers opposed his transfer as complaints had been lodged against him in the past. However, after a month, thanking the former senior officer, Ghorband was finally transferred there, the official said.
Advocate Somnath Jondh, appearing for several accused including Suryavanshi, said that no action was taken even though the Dalit community had filed a written complaint against Ghorbandh in the past. Sources close to Ghorband denied all the allegations and said there was no evidence for the allegations, which will be evident in the judicial inquiry ordered by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the Parbhani case.
While Ghorband was leading the LCB, Parbhani Superintendent of Police Rabindrasingh Pardeshi was absconding during training before this incident, so Additional SP Yashwant Kale took over his duties, an official said. Pardeshi is scheduled to return to his post at the end of this month. Shahji Umap, who is a DIG rank officer, is currently holding the charge of Range Inspector General (IG) above his current post.
“The appointment of the LCB chief is considered powerful in the district. In the district, there is political interference in deciding who will be appointed as the head of the LCB, especially by local politicians. As it was an election year, the interference had increased,” said a senior official. He added, “In many districts, local parent ministers try to influence the appointment of officials they feel will help them,” said a senior official.
On December 10, a man desecrated a replica of the Constitution near Ambedkar’s statue in Parbhani, sparking outrage among the Ambedkar community. Although there were peaceful protests after the incident, the vandalism later escalated the tension.
Police have arrested around 50 people, among whom Suryavanshi died on December 15. A preliminary autopsy report said the cause of death was “multiple blunt force trauma”. After the protest, Fadnavis suspended Ghorband pending a judicial inquiry into whether Ghorband had used excessive force.
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