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

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, 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.

Police have so far arrested six out of seven persons involved in the murder.

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.

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.

Parbhani had witnessed violence last month after a glass-encased replica of the Constitution was vandalised.

The death of Dalit man, Somnath Suryavanshi, arrested in connection with the violence in judicial custody triggered fresh demonstrations.