Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Mar 5 (PTI) Namdev Shastri, a revered figure in the Vanjari community, said on Wednesday that his earlier remarks in connection with the Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder were based on limited facts.
His comments came a day after NCP leader Dhananjay Munde resigned as a Maharashtra minister following the naming of his close aide Walmik Karad as the mastermind in the murder of Massajog village head Deshmukh.
A day before Munder’s resignation, graphic photos and videos of Deshmukh surfaced, revealing the brutalities committed before the murder and sparking a statewide outrage.
“Earlier, I had made statements concerning the Santosh Deshmukh murder case based on limited facts. His brother Dhananjay Deshmukh shared with me the brutalities committed on the sarpanch,” said the spiritual leader told reporters.
Shastri, the head of Bhagwangad Sansthan, had earlier voiced support for Munde, who belongs to the Vanjari community, saying he was being targeted. He later also extended his support to the family of slain sarpanch Deshmukh after they met him.
The spiritual leader said on Wednesday, “I was not aware of the facts when I made the statement initially. People should not misunderstand me. When Dhananjay Deshmukh came and told me how Santosh Deshmukh was brutally killed, it pained me to no end,” Shastri said on Wednesday.
Santosh Deshmukh was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9, 2024, for allegedly trying to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy firm in Beed district. His killers captured the crime on camera and the chilling images and videos went viral on Monday.
Eight persons have been arrested so far in the murder case and the police have invoked stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against them. One accused is still at large.
“I demand that the case be fast-tracked and the accused be punished. Bhagwangad stands with the Deshmukh family,” Shastri added on Wednesday.