Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Parbhani town in Maharashtra on Monday to meet the families of two people killed in violence there earlier this month.
However, the state BJP termed Gandhi’s visit as a ‘drama’.
Violence broke out in Parbhani on the evening of December 10 after a glass-enclosed replica of the Constitution was vandalized near the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar outside the town’s railway station in Marathwada region.
According to the schedule shared by Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Gandhi will meet the families of Ambedkarite Somnath Suryavanshi, who died in police custody, and Vijay Wakode, who died while participating in a protest.
When Suryavanshi was allegedly killed in police custody, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had recently told the Rajya Sabha that the man had not tortured the magistrate and that CCTV footage also showed no evidence of brutality.
Fadnavis has already announced a judicial inquiry into Parbhani violence.
State BJP chief and revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule called Gandhi’s visit a “drama”.
“Instead of acting like this, attention should be paid to how the society can be benefited through creative means. The BJP and the state government are committed to keeping society and all communities united,” he told reporters.
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