Maratha Activists Demand Justice in Sarpanch Murder Case

Protestors from a Maratha outfit in Maharashtra demand that NCP leader Dhananjay Munde be named a co-accused in the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Munde resigned following allegations against an aide. The case has sparked significant unrest within the Maratha community.

Protests erupted in Latur district, Maharashtra, where activists from a Maratha group demanded the inclusion of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde as a co-accused in the murder case surrounding sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

Holding a sit-in demonstration at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, the Sakal Maratha community directed slogans against Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and Munde, insisting on strict penalties for those involved in Deshmukh's murder.

Munde, the state food and civil supplies minister, resigned amid growing pressure after his aide, Walmik Karad, was implicated as the key figure in the crime, which has intensified tensions between the Maratha and Vanjari communities in the region.

(With inputs from agencies.)