In a tragic incident connected to the 2012 Thangadh police firing case in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district, a man allegedly died by suicide after seeking justice for his late son. The deceased has been identified as Amarshibhai Sumra (53), jumped in front of a moving train, which was the same spot where his son died in the police firing, 14 years ago. Amarshi Sumra’s body was found near the Buddh Vihar Smarak, a memorial to Pankaj and the two other youths – Prakash Parmar and Mehul Rathod, killed in the Thanagadh firing in 2012.
Why did he end his life?
According to the deceased’s family members, Amarshibhai died as he leaped in front of the Hapa-Mumbai train running between Thangadh and Lakhmanchi during the night. Since 2012 , he has been fighting for justice, for his son, Pankaj Sumra. In September 2012, when a dispute broke out between Dalit and Bharwad community members during the Tarnetar fair in Thangadh. Following the clash, police opened fire, resulting in the deaths of three Dalit youths named Mehul Rathod, Pankaj Sumra, and Prakash Parmar.
The shootout incident sparked widespread controversy regarding negligence of the police officials. The cops then set up a Special Investigating Team to investigate the case. The team visited the Thanagadh site to probe the area near the railway gate. The police officials also videotaped the entire area. However, the Gujarat police never made the investigation report public in the past few years.
For the past 14 years, Sumra was fighting for justice. On Raksha Bandhan, this year, he was deeply saddened seeing his daughters grieving for their late brother. Distressed Sumra then decided to kill himself near the memorial for the three youths.
Upon learning about the incident, the police officials reached the spot and initiated a probe.
What Happened in 2012
On September 22, 2012 a dispute broke out between groups of young men during the fair. Police used tear gas and opened fire to disperse the crowd. A bullet allegedly struck Pankaj in the back. He was taken to hospitals in Surendranagar and Rajkot, where he was declared dead.
The next day, members of the Dalit community protested and police allegedly opened fire again. Mehul and Prakash were killed during the alleged police action, while another Dalit youth, 25-year-old Chana Vaniya, was injured.
The Gujarat government ordered a probe in 2012 under Sanjay Prasad, then principal secretary in the Social Justice and Empowerment Department. Prasad submitted his report in May 2013, but its findings were never made public.