"Will Inspire A Generation": Murdered Sarpanch's Daughter Clears NEET

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday took to social media to hail the NEET success of Vaibhavi Deshmukh, the daughter of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, whose brutal killing on December 9 last year hit national headlines and caused political ripples across the state for its knotty caste and crime links.

In a post on X, Ajit Pawar, the guardian minister of Beed, said Vaibhavi's feat goes far beyond academic achievement and is a lesson in facing challenges head on.

"Her journey is about unwavering determination in the face of adversity and is sure to inspire an entire generation," he said.

"Vaibhavi's success cannot be measured by marks alone. Despite enduring personal hardships and battling extremely challenging circumstances, she refused to be discouraged or lose focus. Channelling her grief into grit, she persevered with discipline, dedication, and clarity of purpose to pursue and realize her dream of a career in medicine," the deputy CM asserted in his X post.

बारावी परीक्षेनंतर कु. वैभवी संतोष देशमुख हिने मेडिकलसाठी महत्त्वपूर्ण असलेल्या NEET सारख्या कठीण परीक्षेत मिळवलेलं घवघवीत यश केवळ शैक्षणिक कामगिरी नाही, तर संकटांशी दोन हात करत ध्येयाला भिडण्याची शिकवण आहे. जी नव्या पिढीसाठी प्रेरणादायी ठरेल.

वैभवी, तुझं यश केवळ गुणांच्या रूपात… pic.twitter.com/HOGaec1gj5

— Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) June 15, 2025

After clearing her Class XII exams, Vaibhavi did not falter despite the most adverse circumstances staring at her, the NCP leader added.

Santosh Deshmukh was kidnapped, tortured and killed on December 9 for trying to stop an extortion bid on an energy company.

Valmik Karad, a close aide of Dhananjay Munde, who is part of Ajit Pawar's NCP, was arrested along with several others.

They were booked under stringent provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, while Munde had to resign from the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet amid attacks from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi as well as leaders of the ruling Mahayuti.

The killing brought to the fore caste fissures as Deshmukh was a Maratha, whereas most of those arrested were from the Vanjari community. The case also made Beed a benchmark of criminal politics for the opposition parties while slamming the law and order situation in the state under the Fadnavis government.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)