Veteran freedom fighterNagorav Vitthalrao Deshpande died of prolonged illness in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district on Wednesday, family sources said.Deshpande (90) was severely ill for the past four months, the deceased's son Suresh Deshpande told PTI.A native of Partur tehsil in Jalna, Deshpande took part in the Hyderabad freedom struggle in 1948, when he was in his teens.He led the Satyagraha movement, organised under leadersip of late Swami Ramanand Teerth and Govindbhai Shroff in Marathwada.Deshpande was the founder secretary of Marathwada Janta Vikas Parishad and Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada Research Centre in Aurangabad.He was conferred with the first 'Granth Mitra' award by the Maharashtra government in 1996.Deshpande also worked in the field of adult education in rural areas here, Suresh Deshpande said.
