Beed sarpanch murder: Troubles mount for Dhananjay Munde

Mumbai: Troubles appear to be mounting for Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, since his close aide Walmik Karad has been named as the mastermind behind the sensational murder of Santosh Deshmukh, a sarpanch who was resisting an extortion bid in the Beed district of Maharashtra.

The State-CID has filed 1,200 pages in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case and two related cases in a court in Beed district.

Three separate cases - the murder of the sarpanch, Rs two crore extortion bid from windmill company Avaada Group and the assault on the security guard of the firm - were registered at the Kej police station in Beed, and the investigations were taken over by State-CID, which has formed a SIT to probe the cases.

The police have invoked Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Karad and the other accused.

Deshmukh (45), a three-time Sarpanch of Massajog village in the Parli tehsil, was kidnapped, tortured and murdered on December 9, 2024.

Besides Karad, the State-CID arrested Sudarshan Ghule, Vishnu Chate, Jairam Chate, Mahesh Kedar, Siddhartha Sonawane, Sudhir Sangale and Prateek Ghule.

Krishna Andhale is a wanted accused in the case.

“The police have conducted professional investigations,” said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the Home Minister.

“The chargesheet has been submitted with detailed evidence. We will request the court for a fast-track trial of the case,” he said, adding that senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam has been appointed as a Special Public Prosecutor.

“The accused should get the strictest punishment,” he said.

Meanwhile, social activist Anjali Damania said that Fadnavis and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar must take Munde’s resignation or remove him from the ministry. “Munde should also be tried in the case,” he said.

Munde is an MLA from Parli in Beed district.

Munde is considered close to Pawar, who is the NCP President.