Latur, Dec 27 (PTI) Members of the Maratha community on Friday took out a protest march at Renapur in Maharashtra's Latur to denounce the brutal murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed, and sought justice for his family.
Deshmukh's daughter Vaibhavi and son Viraj also took part in the 'Akrosh Morcha', at the end of which they handed over a memorandum of demands to tehsildar Manjusha Bhagat.
The demands include that the case be heard in a fast-track court, capital punishment for the accused, government job for one member of Deshmukh's family and suspension of police officers who allegedly delayed registration of case or assisted the accused.
The march, organised under the banner of 'Sakal Maratha Samaj' in Renapur taluka, saw participation of thousands of Maratha community members. It was taken out from Shriram Vidyalaya to the Tehsil Office, where the protesters presented their memorandum of demands. They raised slogans to denounce "lack of swift action" in the case. They also sought strict action against the administration in connection with the custodial death of Somnath Suryawanshi in Parbhani.
On the occasion, Vaibhavi Deshmukh made an emotional appeal and said the government must ensure justice for her family.
"I am a granddaughter of this soil from Wala village in Renapur tehsil. Stand with us in our fight for justice. May no family face the tragedy we have endured? My father prioritised the welfare of the community over his family and was even honoured with awards for his contributions to the Gram Panchayat. The government must ensure that we get justice and arrest the accused without delay," she said.
The Sakal Maratha Samaj also announced four more protests over the issue. The first will be a roadblock demonstration at Renapur-Pimpal Phata on January 1.
Santosh Deshmukh, who belonged to the Maratha community, was abducted and killed in Beed district on December 9. He is alleged to have been tortured before the murder. An FIR was registered against seven persons, including Vishnu Chate, in this connection.
Chate allegedly demanded Rs 2 crore from an energy company that had installed a windmill in the district and threatened to stop their operations if their demands were not met. But Deshmukh had tried to intervene and stop the extortion due to which he was abducted and murdered, police said.
Protests erupted in Beed after photographs of Deshmukh's body with injury marks was shared widely on social media. The opposition has claimed that state minister Dhananjay Munde's close aide Walmik Karad is the mastermind behind the murder.