Maha government forms SIT to probe sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh’s murder | India News

maharashtra government announced on Wednesday the formation of a 10-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the brutal murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.
According to an order issued by the state Home Department, the SIT would be headed by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) deputy inspector general Basavraj Teli.
On Wednesday morning, villagers staged a ‘jal samadhi’ protest demanding the arrest of three suspects who are still at large. Around 40 men and women were immersed in a lake up to their waists as part of the agitation, which lasted two hours. The protest was called off after Beed Superintendent of Police Navneet Kanwat visited the spot and assured the villagers that the police were committed to nabbing the accused.
Earlier, the state government had handed over the investigation into Deshmukh’s murder, along with related cases of extortion and assault, to the CID. Of the six suspects named in the case, police have so far arrested Pratik Ghule, Jayram Chate and Mahesh Kedar. However, three others – Sudarshan Ghule, Sudhir Sangle and Krushna Andhale – remain at large.
In a related development, Walmik Karad, a close associate of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and state minister Dhananjay MundeHe surrendered to the CID in Pune on Tuesday in connection with the extortion case.
He has since been detained for 14 days. During the just-concluded winter session of the Maharashtra legislature, the opposition alleged that Karad was the “brain” behind the sarpanch’s murder. Karad has denied these allegations and claims he is the victim of a political vendetta.
Deshmukh’s murder
Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Kej tehsil, Beed district, was kidnapped and murdered on December 9. His murder is reportedly related to his opposition to an alleged extortion attempt by individuals demanding money from a windmill company.
The SIT is tasked with expediting the investigation to uncover all the details of the case and bring all those responsible to justice.