Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case.
Credit: PTI photo
Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP leader Suresh Dhas on Tuesday said it was unfair to doubt his resolve to seek justice for sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh because he met state minister Dhananjay Munde.
Talking to reporters, Dhas, who had targeted Munde over the murder, said state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule called him in January, asking him to come and meet the minister from the Nationalist Congress Party .
"I was there for about half an hour, and not four-and-half hours as Bawankule said. It was at 9.30 pm, and it was not a secret meeting. Recently I met Munde (again) to inquire about his health after he underwent a surgery," said the MLA from Beed district.
The people of Massajog, Deshmukh's village, have faith in him and nine accused have been arrested in the case, Dhas said.
"It is unfair to doubt my determination to seek justice for sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh just because I met Munde," he said.
He met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla earlier in the day, he said, adding he also asked Shukla to investigate how certain police officials remained posted in Beed district for more than 15 years.
Munde, the minister for food and civil supplies who hails from Beed district, came under fire after his close aide Walmik Karad was arrested in an extortion case linked to Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder. Deshmukh was abducted and brutally killed on December 9, 2024, after he allegedly tried to thwart an attempt to extort money from a wind energy firm operating in Beed. PTI MR KRK