India, March 12 -- One-third of inspector-level police officers in Beed district - as many as 107 - have sought transfers out of the district, eager to distance themselves from a jurisdiction associated with the horrific murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village, and the reign of terror that allegedly led to his death.

The transfer applications have been submitted to Beed superintendent of police Navneet Kanwat in the run-up to April-May, when routine transfers take place every year. This year, however, an unusually high number of officers of inspector-level rank have sought transfers, said a senior police officer from Beed. The officers are worried about being made scapegoats as the Deshmukh murder trial unfolds, he s...