Ahmedabad: Fourteen years after his teenage son was killed in police firing at Thangadh in Surendranagar, Amarshi Sumra (55) died by suicide after allegedly jumping in front of a moving train near the memorial built for the three youths killed in the 2012 incident.Sumra, father of 16-year-old Pankaj Sumra, had in recent days spoken about his trauma to Valji Rathod, whose 17-year-old son Mehul was also killed in the firing. According to Rathod, Sumra was under severe emotional distress over the prolonged wait for justice.“Amarsinh was in stress and anguished over not getting justice for his teenage son. A couple of days ago, he told me that his daughter feels agonised every Rakshabandhan because her brother was no longer alive to protect her. He said he was heartbroken because he could not protect his son and could not get justice for him,” Rathod told TOI.Rathod said Sumra was found dead around midnight near the Buddha memorial erected in memory of the three youths killed in the police firing. “He died where his son died 14 years ago,” Rathod added.On the intervening night of Sep 22 and 23, 2012, Pankaj, Mehul and 26-year-old Prakash Parmar were killed when police opened fire while attempting to control a clash between two communities in Thangadh.Police have maintained that firing was carried out to control the violence, while families and Dalit groups alleged excessive use of force by the cops.The deaths triggered protests and a long legal and political campaign by the victims’ families. The state govt appointed then principal secretary of social justice and empowerment department Sanjay Prasad to inquire into the incident. His submitted the report on May 1, 2013, but it was never made public.The families subsequently approached Gujarat High Court seeking disclosure of the report. The court questioned the govt over the continued withholding of the document.Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani said the issue of inquiry report had been raised repeatedly in the past. “I have raised the issue of not tabling the report in the state assembly least five times,” he said, adding that the families and members of the Dalit community had also pursued the matter before courts and public forums, but there has been no action.Box: What happened on Sep 22-23, 2012A clash between Dalits and members of the Bharwad community during the Tarnetar fair had heightened tensions in Thangadh on Sep 22, 2012. As violence escalated, police used lathicharge and tear gas to disperse the gathering. Later that night, police opened fire while trying to control the mob. Three Dalit youths — Pankaj Sumra (16), Mehul Rathod (17), and Prakash Parmar (26) — were killed in the firing. Another youth was injured. Police maintained that firing was necessary to control the situation, while the victims’ families and Dalit groups alleged excessive use of force and demanded action against the policemen involved.
