Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured strict action in the case of murder of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh of Masajog village in Beed. He said that any kind of Gunda Raj will not be tolerated in the state. Fadnavis spoke to the Sarpanch's family and assured them that the culprits will be punished. The Sarpanch was murdered after his kidnapping on December 9. The reason behind the murder has come to light as opposition to extortion from a wind energy company.

Valmik Karad surrendered
The main accused in this case and a close aide of Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde, Valmik Karad recently surrendered before the police in Pune. Karad was named in the extortion case. Earlier, the police had arrested four other accused in the murder case. The Chief Minister said that the police is collecting strong evidence against the accused and everyone will be punished.

Political allegations and opposition demands
Opposition parties have accused Dhananjay Munde of having links with Karad and have demanded his resignation for a fair investigation. The Chief Minister said that there will be no politics in the case and the culprits will not be spared at any cost. He clarified that the investigation process is completely independent and the Crime Investigation Department (CID) is looking into the case.

Attachment of properties and police action
BJP MLA Suresh Dhas said that on the instructions of the Chief Minister, the police have started the process of attaching the properties of Karad and other accused. This has increased the pressure on the accused, and Karad was forced to surrender. Dhas said that this action is an important step towards maintaining law and order in the state. The police will soon seize other properties after the permission of the court.