Beed Sarpanch murder: Villagers stage 'jal samadhi' protest seeking arrest of absconding accused

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Residents of Massajog village in Beed district of Maharashtra staged a 'jal samadhi' protest on Wednesday, demanding the arrest of three absconding accused in the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch.

Around 40 men and women participated in the protest, standing waist-deep in a lake for two hours, news agency PTI reported. The demonstration was called off after district Superintendent of Police (SP) Navneet Kanwat visited the village and assured the protestors that the police would spare no effort in capturing the accused in the Beed Sarpanch murder case.

"I met the agitators... We are making 100 percent efforts to arrest the three absconding accused. The people of the village gave us 10 days, but it is possible that we will get results before that, as our teams are working to nab them," said the SP.

Following the assurance, the protestors ended their agitation and came out from the lake, PTI reported.

The protest occurred a day after Walmik Karad, an accused in an extortion case linked to Deshmukh's murder, surrendered before the police in Pune. Karad is a close associate of state minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Dhananjay Munde.

Deshmukh was abducted and brutally killed on December 9, allegedly for opposing an extortion attempt by individuals demanding money from a windmill company.

So far, police have arrested three individuals in connection with the murder, while three others remain at large. Karad, along with one other person, has been arrested in relation to the extortion case.

On Wednesday morning, around 40 villagers entered the lake and stood waist-deep in water to press their demands.

One protestor told reporters, "Santosh Deshmukh should get justice. Even after 23 days, three accused are absconding. What is the police department doing? The accused should be arrested and hanged."

Of the six accused in the murder case, the police have arrested Pratik Ghule, Jayram Chate, and Mahesh Kedar, while Sudarshan Ghule, Sudhir Sangle, and Krushna Andhale remain at large.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Government on Wednesday formed a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the Beed Sarpanch murder case, officials said.

The SIT will be headed by Crime Investigation Department's (CID) Deputy Inspector General Basavraj Teli, said an order issued by the state Home department.

The other members of the team are Anil Gujar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, CID; Vijaysingh Jonwal, Assistant Police Inspector of local crime branch, Beed; Mahesh Vighne, Special Inspector of local crime branch, Beed; Anand Shinde, Special Inspector of Kej Police Station; Assistant Sub-Inspector Tulshiram Jagtap; and police constables Manoj Wagh, Chandrakant Kalkute, Balasaheb Ahankare and Santosh Gitte, the order said.

(With PTI inputs)