Akkalkot police have filed a criminal case against Minister of State for Rural Development Sidhram Mhetre and 28 others in connection with the killing of a BJP worker on Saturday during the election campaign of BJP candidate Sidhram Patil at Shegao village.

Mhetre and his brother Shankar Mhetre are among those booked under the 302,307,147,109,108 and other sections of the IPC on a complaint filed by Shrimant Ishvarappa Kore, brother of the deceased Bhimanna Kore, police sources said.

Soon after the murder, Mhetre’s rivals had pointed fingers at him. BJP leader Gopinath Munde who rushed to the place on Sunday had demanded the immediate arrest of Mhetre. However, Mhetre said he had nothing to do with the murder. He or any of his family members were not involved, directly or indirectly, he has said.

BJP candidate Patil and Mhetre had locked horns in the past and their followers have clashed from time to time in the local elections. Meanwhile, the Election Commission has sent two special observers M V Satyanarayan and Satyajit Thakur to investigate the allegation against Mhetre.