Beed sarpanch murder: Govt probing the murder case; those involved will not be spared, says Maharashtra CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. File Pic

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the state government was probing the Beed sarpanch's murder case with determination, and those involved in the crime will not be spared, reported news agency PTI.

Fadnavis said the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massjog village, Beed district should not be politicised.

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Deshmukh was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9, apparently because he tried to thwart an attempt to extort money from an energy firm operating a windmill project. Walmik Karad, an aide of Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, has been arrested in the extortion case, stated PTI.

The police have arrested seven persons in connection with the murder so far.

"In the Beed case, the government and the police are acting with full strength and determination. The guilty will not be spared," the chief minister said.

He noted Deshmukh was a popular sarpanch, but his death should not be politicised.

"Even if the accused are absconding, action is being taken. We are not sparing those who helped the accused. The probe agencies should be allowed to investigate the case properly," said Fadnavis.

The police on Saturday said they nabbed absconding accused Sudarshan Chandrabhan Ghule (26) and Sudhir Sangle (23) were picked up from Pune, and arrested Siddharth Sonawane, whose alleged role in the conspiracy came to light during the probe, reported PTI.

The police had earlier arrested Jairam Manik Change (21), Mahesh Sakharam Kedar (21), Prateek Ghule (24) and Vishnu Chate (45) in the murder case, while Krushna Andhale, another accused, is still at large, reported PTI.

Beed sarpanch murder: All-party march held in Parbhani demanding arrest of all accused

An all-party march demanding a deeper investigation into the Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case was organised in Maharashtra's Parbhani city on Saturday, PTI reported.

The morcha started from the Nutan College ground and will culminate at the Shivaji Maharaj's statue.

Till now, the police have arrested six out of the seven individuals involved in the murder.

The opposition has demanded the resignation of Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde after his close aide Walmik Karad was arrested in the extortion case in connection to Deshmukh's murder, PTI reported.

As per PTI, Public representatives from the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) and ruling Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange, along with family members of the deceased Santosh Deshmukh joined the march.

(With inputs from PTI)