Sarpanch murder: BJP MLA fires fresh salvo at Dhananjay Munde

BJP MLA Suresh Dhas made the allegations during a morcha held by a Maratha outfit here on Sunday to condemn the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, and the death of Somnath Suryawanshi in judicial custody following violence in Parbhani.

Pune: BJP MLA Suresh Dhas has alleged that a meeting to discuss an extortion deal in Beed was held between Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde's associate Walmik Karad and officials of a firm at Munde's residence in June last year.

Dhas made the allegations during a morcha held by a Maratha outfit here on Sunday to condemn the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, and the death of Somnath Suryawanshi in judicial custody following violence in Parbhani.

Karad was arrested last week after he surrendered before the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Pune in the extortion case linked to the murder of sarpanch Deshmukh.

The march, organised by the local unit of Akhand Maratha Samaj, started from Lal Mahal at Sunday noon and culminated at the district collector's office.

Family members of the deceased sarpanch, senior Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, NCP (SP) MP Bajrang Sonawane, BJP MLA Suresh Dhas, Maratha activist Manoj Jarange, along with leaders from various parties, and office-bearers were present during the march.

The protesters shouted slogans against NCP minister Munde.

Addressing the morcha, Dhas claimed, "A meeting was held on June 14 between Walmik Karad and officials of a renewable energy company at Dhananjay Munde's residence in Parli (in Beed district). Simultaneously, Munde's PA spoke with some senior officials of the company." "Meetings also took place at the official residence of Munde in Mumbai. A deal of Rs 3 crore was finalised in the meeting," he alleged.

The BJP MLA from Beed said he had given the evidence (to police).

"Walmik Karad alias 'aaka' and his PA use 17 mobile phones. The Beed superintendent of police and the CID IG can recover more evidence from these phones," Dhas said.

Deshmukh was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9, apparently because he tried to thwart an attempt to extort money from an energy firm operating a windmill project.

Police have so far arrested seven persons in connection with the murder.

Suryawanshi, a Dalit, died in judicial custody after he was arrested in connection with violence in Parbhani last month over the desecration of a glass-encased replica of the Constitution.