Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the appointment of lawyer and BJP leader Ujjwal Nikam as the Special Public Prosecutor in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case on Wednesday, February 26. Villager and Beed sarpanch's family have sat on hunger strike to protest over dissatisfaction investigation in murder case.
The Maharashtra government has issued a notification to announce the appointments related to the case. “Senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam has been appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor by the Maharashtra government in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case in Beed district, while A Adv. Balasaheb Kolhe has been appointed as the Assistant Special Public Prosecutor,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday morning.
The protesting villagers alleged that the main accused in the Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case continues to remain absconding, and they expressed dissatisfaction with the probe in the case so far. In a X by NCP SP leader Supriya Sule, she sought the Chief Minister’s intervention in giving justice to the family of the murdered sarpanch of Massajog village Santosh Deshmukh, and to the villagers.
"The killers of the late Santosh Deshmukh, the Sarpanch of Massajog in Beed district, should be given the strictest punishment. Also, the Deshmukh family and villagers have called for a food boycott to demand the arrest of Krishna Andhale, an absconding accused in this case," NCP leader Sule wrote by tagging Maharashtra CM.
Also Read | Santosh Deshmukh Murder: Villagers Launch Hunger Strike Over Dissatisfactory Probe in Beed Sarpanch Case.
"It is a matter of great regret that a family has to go on a food boycott for justice in Maharashtra, which is known as a developed state in the country. The mystery of why the absconding accused Krishna Andhale in this incident is still not solved has not been solved yet. This is a suspicious matter and if the police investigate in the right direction, the dilemma in this regard can be solved. My humble request to the Chief Minister is that you should take a very serious note of this protest and reassure the Deshmukh family," she further stated asking justice to the family of deceased sarpanch.
Meanwhile, Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and murdered on December 9, 2024. It was alleged that he was killed for opposing an attempt to extort money from a wind energy firm operating in the area. Walmik Karad, a close aide of Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, was arrested in the extortion case weeks after the murder.