Activist Anjali Damania targets NCP minister Dhananjay Munde over Beed sarpanch murder

Mumbai: Social activist Anjali Damania on Tuesday targeted Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde over the brutal murder of a village sarpanch in Beed district.

Damania claimed that there is “solid evidence” of the financial relationship between Munde, who is NCP leader and Food, Civil supplies and Consumer Protection Minister, and Walmik Karad, who she alleged runs a mafia empire in the district.

Munde and Karad jointly own land and were directors in a company called Jagamitra Sugars, Damania claimed, and posted 7/12 extracts from the land register maintained by the revenue department about ownership of 88 acres and 34 guntha land, on social media platform X.

There has been no reaction yet from Munde on Damania’s claims.

“Karad has been booked 10 times in Parli Vaijnath town of Beed district under 45 sections,” she said. “A man with a history of such serious crimes is with Dhananjay Munde,” she added.

Damania also pointed out that there are 1,222 arms licenses in Beed district. “Why were such a large number of arms licenses granted? There are just 32 in Parbhani and 243 in Amravati districts. Then why such a large number in Beed district and by whose authority were they granted,” she said.

“While Karad has an arms license in his name, Kailash Phad and Nikhil Phad, both from his group, do not have any license, yet they were publicly seen brandishing guns in public. I have requested Beed SP Navneet Kanwat to arrest them immediately,” Damania said.

The social activist said she will be in Beed to participate in a protest march on December 28 against sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh’s killers. “Let us fight to end terror in Beed,” she added.

The brutal killing of Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village, has set off a political and social storm in the state. The incident has underscored serious concerns about law and order in the district, with BJP MLA Suresh Dhas equating it with that prevailing in Kandahar province of Afghanistan.

Deshmukh, a popular grassroots leader in the district, was abducted in the afternoon on December 9. Hours later, his lifeless body was discovered, bearing signs of extreme torture. His murder allegedly stemmed from his intervention in an extortion attempt at a wind power plant near his village.

Deshmukh had reportedly confronted a group of individuals demanding money from the company, a move that may have sealed his fate.

The gruesome murder has triggered widespread protests in Beed and neighbouring regions. Several social organisations, along with political parties, have condemned the murder and demanded justice. Residents of Massajog village staged a bandh.

Ambadas Danve, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, accused the BJP-led government of shielding Karad. Danve claimed that arresting Karad could destabilise the government. “This murder is not just a crime; it reflects the rot in governance," he said.

Fadnavis said on Tuesday that a special investigation team (SIT) and a judge will probe Deshmukh’s murder. A case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) will be registered against the accused, he added.

BJP MLA Dhas has demanded that Fadnavis be the guardian minister of Beed. Asked who will be the district guardian minister, Fadnavis said he along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar will take a decision on the matter soon.

A court on Monday extended the police custody of three accused in the sarpanch murder case till January 6.

Arrested accused Jairam Chate, Mahesh Kedar and Pratik Ghule were produced by the state's Crime Investigation Department (CID) at a court at Kej in Beed district.

Another accused, Vishnu Chate, is in police custody till December 27. Three others are wanted in the case.