Beed sarpanch murder case All-party march in Parbhani for arrest of all accused

    Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jan 4 (PTI) An all-party march demanding a deeper probe into the Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case was organised in Parbhani city of Maharashtra on Saturday.
    The morcha started from the Nutan College ground and will culminate at Shivaji Maharaj's statue.
    Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9 prima facie for attempting to stop an extortion bid on an energy firm operating a windmill project in the region.
    The opposition has demanded Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde's resignation after his close aide Walmik Karad was arrested in the extortion case linked to Deshmukh's murder. Seven persons have been arrested in connection with the murder case so far.
    Public representatives from the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) and ruling NCP, Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange and family members of Santosh Deshmukh joined the march.
    Addressing the crowd, Jarange said, "People should stand firmly behind the Deshmukh family till they get justice. The accused in both the extortion and murder are the same, and I request the chief minister that a case of murder be registered against them. People who have helped the accused should also be apprehended."
    NCP (SP) MLA Sandip Kshirsagar said the opposition only has three demands — the case be tried in a fast-track court, Munde should resign as minister till the case is on, and the guilty be sentenced to death.
    Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Jadhav said the chargesheet should be made watertight so that the accused are not released.
    "The government should not take this case lightly. There should be no loopholes in the chargesheet because of any political pressure. Those who have lost humanity because of money should be taught a lesson. So the chargesheet should be made strong, and getting it done is our responsibility," he said.
    Jadhav also called for Munde's resignation on moral grounds.
    BJP MLA Suresh Dhas demanded the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOCA) Act be invoked against the accused.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)