Accused in Constitution replica vandalism case found dead in Parbhani village 4 days after release on bail

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Datta Sopan Pawar, the accused in the Constitution replica vandalism and desecration case that triggered massive outrage across the state, was found dead on Monday morning in a room located in his farmland in Mirzapur village of Parbhani district, the police said.The police said Pawar was found hanging and, based on the circumstances, the case is being treated as a suspected suicide.The incident took place barely four days after Pawar was released on bail, following nearly 13 months in judicial custody. According to police officers, some residents noticed that the door of the small room on Pawar's farmland had been shut for an unusually long time on Monday morning. Suspecting something amiss, they alerted the authorities. A police team reached the spot, broke open the door, and found Pawar hanging from a ceiling hook inside the room.The police said the body was immediately taken down and sent for a postmortem, while a panchnama was carried out at the site. An accidental death report was registered.Pawar had been arrested in connection with the vandalism and desecration of a replica of the Constitution placed in front of the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar in Parbhani on Dec 10, 2024. The incident sparked massive protests, sharp political and social reactions, and a chain of violent incidents in Parbhani and several other parts of Maharashtra. In view of the escalating situation, the police had deployed additional forces and kept the city under strict law-and-order surveillance for several days.Following his arrest, Pawar was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded for treatment. However, tensions spilled over, with protesters allegedly barging into the hospital premises and assaulting him.Parbhani superintendent of police Ravindrasingh Pardeshi told TOI, "Since being arrested, he had been languishing behind bars. His bail application was represented by legal aid services, and he was granted bail in Nov, 2025. After the court issued a fresh bail order on Jan 7, 2026, he was released from the Harsul Central Prison in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Perhaps he was depressed." He said, "A prison guard had accompanied him to the Mondha police station. The Mondha cops then passed on his responsibility to the rural police, which, in return, released Pawar to his relatives in the village. However, he allegedly died by suicide."When contacted, a prison official said, "No one from his family was ready to apply for his bail. That is why the legal aid service had to be roped in. The court granted him bail in Nov, but still none of his family members came forward to give a PR bond. The court, suo motu, asked him to furnish a bond, and he was released four days ago."A Parbhani police officer said Pawar was lodged in jail for nearly 13 months. He was granted bail a few days ago on a personal bond after no one came forward to stand surety for him. The bail was facilitated through free legal aid. After his release, Pawar returned to Mirzapur village and had been staying there alone for the past two to three days.Investigators said Pawar was under considerable mental stress. His family circumstances were strained, with his wife and two children reportedly living separately in different villages in Pune district. Officials said Pawar was also undergoing psychiatric treatment during his incarceration, and a preliminary assessment suggested that prolonged depression may have driven him to take the extreme step.