Murder attempt case lodged against slain Massajog sarpanch’s brother

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Beed rural police have registered a case of attempt to murder against Dhananjay Deshmukh, the younger brother of slain Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, following a late-night brawl at an eatery near Beed on Saturday.The case was registered after a confrontation between Deshmukh and Samadhan Khindkar, a resident of Balwadi village and a distant relative of the Deshmukh family, around 10pm. A cross-complaint has also been filed by Deshmukh.“In his complaint, Khindkar has accused Deshmukh of taking out the service revolver of his bodyguard and pointing it at his (Khindkar's) head with the intention of killing him. Earlier, both had a verbal altercation, following which, a heated exchange of words took place,” said Balaji Darade, in-charge of the Beed rural police station.The police said Khindkar had gone to an eatery with friends, while Deshmukh was present there along with a social media creator. The situation escalated after Khindkar was reportedly showing a video on his phone.“When Khindkar asked why he snatched the mobile, an argument broke out between the two sides,” Darade said, referring to the role of Deshmukh’s bodyguard in allegedly seizing the phone.The police have registered a case against Deshmukh under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 109 (attempt to murder), 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation), among other charges.Meanwhile, Khindkar has also been booked under BNS sections 189(2) (unlawful assembly) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation), among other charges.Darade said CCTV footage from the eatery is being examined as part of the investigation.Notably, Khindkar was recently in the news for allegedly threatening to kill his elder brother, Dada Khindkar, a witness in the murder case of Santosh Deshmukh.Further probe is underway.​