Beed sarpanch murder case: MVA slams law & order, police releases posters of 3 absconding accused

Mumbai: Even as the police intensify the efforts to track down three of the absconding accused in the Beed sarpanch murder case, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has slammed the law and order machinery and the Maharashtra government questioning the delay.

Santosh Deshmukh (45), a three-time Sarpanch of Massajog village in Kaij tehsil of Beed district, was kidnapped, tortured and murdered on December 9, 2024, for putting up a resistance against an extortion syndicate.

“Three people are still absconding…it is unfortunate…the Beed police, State CID is investigating the case but still they have not been able to apprehend the accused,” Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Council Ambadas Danve said.

Earlier, anti-corruption crusader and social activist Anjali Damania had claimed that the three accused in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case of Beed might have been killed and their bodies were found along the Karnataka border as an unidentified person informed her on WhatsApp - and she had passed on the information to the police.

In the murder case, four people have been arrested - Vishnu Chate, Jairam Chate, Mahesh Kedar and Pratik Ghule.

Three more accused - Sudarshan Ghule, Krushna Andhale and Sudhir Sangle - are still absconding.

On its part, the Beed police have released posters of the three accused and appealed for information.

The poster information gives details about the FIR lodged at Kej Police Station under Bharati Nyay Sanhita (BNS) Sections 103(2), 140 (2), 126, 118 (1), 34 (4), 34(4), 324 (4) (5), 189(2), 190 including other details.

NCP minister and Parli MLA Dhananjay Munde’s close aide Walmik Karad has been arrested in connection with an alleged Rs 2 crore extortion case linked to the murder. However, demand is growing for his arrest in the murder case.

The government has announced three probes - by the Crime Investigation Department (CID), a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and a judicial inquiry in the case

Meanwhile, Danve also demanded that the case should be tried outside Beed. “The trial of the Santosh Deshmukh murder case should be conducted outside Beed," Danve said.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also raised doubts over the 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government to probe Deshmukh's death.

"Majority of the officers in the probe team are from Beed. The police personnel who refused to act against Karad are being included in the probe team, everything looks scripted," he claimed.